A Scottish football club has lost its main sponsor after repeated incidents of fan violence - including an armed brawl which saw a supporter taken to hospital.
J&D Pierce Contracts had backed Ayrshire Junior team Kilbirnie Ladeside for over 20 years but the Beith-based steelwork contractor pulled the plug on their deal. The club are now banned from wearing their own strips bearing J&D Pierce's logos during games, while signs will be removed from the ground.
The news came just hours after Ladeside's committee said a number of fans had been given lifetime bans from all games - and that the 120-year-old club would fold if fans didn't start to behave themselves.
