Child, 13, 'knocked out' and left with 'fractured eye socket' by adult thug after football match in Havant

The youngster was viciously attacked after the match between Havant and Waterlooville Football Club and Wealdstone FC ended on Saturday.

Police said the young Hawks fan was beaten in the car park outside Westleigh Park, in Martin Road, Havant, at about 4.30pm.

A post shared on Facebook, by Joe Forrest, claimed the teenager had been knocked unconscious by ‘a man in his 30s’, before being kicked on the ground, leaving the boy with a ‘fractured eye socket, concussion and bruised ribs’.

Accompanied with an image of a boy strapped to a spinal board and with his head in a hospital brace, the post has since gone viral and been shared more than 8,300 times.

Mr Forrest said the wounded lad was treated at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham and ‘may have to have surgery’ to fit a metal plate in his skull.

He added: ‘He's back home now and is feeling a bit groggy and aching, but he is OK.

‘The reason I'm putting this on (Facebook) is to hopefully use the power of social media to find out who the person was and to urge anyone who witnessed this attack to come forward if they have any information.’

Hampshire police confirmed they were informed about the attack at 4.34pm and have launched an investigation into incident.

A spokesman added: ‘A 13-year-old boy was assaulted and suffered serious injuries in a car park behind the away section.

‘We’re asking anyone who witnessed the incident, or captured anything on camera or on their mobile phone, to get in touch.’

A spokesman for South Central Ambulance Service added they were called at 5.09pm to reports a teenage boy had been assaulted by ‘an adult’.

‘We sent an ambulance to the ground and the patient was taken to the QA Hospital for further assessment,’ a spokesman added.

The attack sparked a furious response online with more than 1,000 people condemning the attack.

In a statement about the attack on the young football fan, Havant and Waterlooville FC said: ‘A child was hurt in an incident following the match, where he required ambulance treatment, and we would like witnesses who would have seen this to come forward and make themselves known.’

Anyone with information about the assault can call police on 101, quoting 44200021883, or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The football ended in a 2-4 defeat for the home side in Havant.