Newcastle United Supporters' Trust has released a statement praising Leeds United for their investigation into crowd safety after travelling fans raised crush fears in their recent encounter at Elland Road. Members of the travelling Toon Army shared some of their 'worst experiences' ever following the club on the road with mass congestion at the turnstiles ahead of the match on January 22.
Eddie Howe's side secured a vital 1-0 victory against their relegation rivals on the day, with a late Jonjo Shelvey free-kick settling the contest. Traffic had led to many Newcastle fans arriving later than planned, and issues over the operation of turnstiles and the queuing system led to significant delays.
Leeds confirmed an investigation had been launched in the following days, with West Yorkshire Police and the Football Supporters’ Association also involved in reviewing the circumstances behind the incident. The Trust participated in two meetings, raising questions over several factors which led to a 'very crowded situation outside the away turnstiles, and then subsequently inside the away section.'
The first of these was around the turnstiles themselves, with fans reporting the barcode reader was not reading their tickets. Leeds acknowledged rips caused by the perforation line was a 'contributing factor', with the NUST set to recommend to the Magpies that future tickets should not be folded along this line when sent to supporters.
Communication with away fans was highlighted, with many detailing how 'very little information' was given to explain why queues were moving slowly, and no notice was given on a gate being opened to grant access 'which in itself caused problems'. The layout of the queuing system outside and inside the stadium was also raised, with Leeds already making improvements to the area outside the away turnstiles.
Furthermore, the 'lack of response' from police and club stewards was also raised, with the NUST speaking to more than 100 fans in the days following the match. A statement from the trust read: "From the very first meeting, we praise Leeds United for taking this situation very seriously and are satisfied that steps are being taken to prevent any incidents like this from happening again to any set of supporters attending Elland Road.
"We are pleased to learn that following this game, Leeds United took immediate steps to prevent this from happening outside the away section again and that further fixtures with Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, and Norwich lead to no further such incidents. We are also pleased the West Yorkshire Police have committed to improving their communication with supporters going forward, and will seek to prevent a build-up directly outside the turnstiles should any incident like this occur again.
"We would like to place on record our thanks to Leeds United for treating Newcastle United fans with the respect they deserve following this incident and appreciate the seriousness in which they handled gathering evidence to create this report for your consumption. We are also happy to hear they have sought to liaise with supporter organisations of teams due to travel to Elland Road.
"Newcastle fans were faced with a very difficult situation that caused a lot of stress and anger from those involved. Those in attendance were amongst our most hardcore away followers, with a lot of experience following Newcastle United away from home, both domestically and abroad. The feeling that this was one of the worst experiences to have come across was a common theme across many of the reports sent in.
"We would like to thank Newcastle fans who sent reports in, especially in such detail which helped us form our presentation to Leeds United and the West Yorkshire Police. We can only hope going forward that an incident like this doesn’t occur again, and that lessons are learned, and continue to be learned to ensure the safety of supporters."
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