SEVEN football supporters were arrested and another 16 ordered to leave the city centre following incidents before and during York City’s home match.

North Yorkshire Police said a fight broke out outside the Pink Pony in Gillygate at about 2.15pm on Saturday before the game at Bootham Crescent against Port Vale.

A spokeswoman said a bottle and a glass were thrown during a fight between York and Port Vale fans, but it was not believed anyone had been injured.

She said 16 people had been given orders to leave the city centre and not return for a specified period of time, and three men were arrested for public- order offences and drug-possession offences.

CCTV footage was being examined by officers, she added.

She said three fans arrested on Saturday were from Stoke-on-Trent: a 20-year-old for using threatening words and behaviour and two 19-year-olds on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs.

She said two York fans, aged 18, were also arrested yesterday on suspicion of affray.

She said it appeared the vast majority of the 16 fans told to leave the city were from York, with their ages ranging between 15 and 18.

A spokesman for the Pink Pony pub spokesman said the fight had happened outside the premises and had had nothing to do with it.

The force spokeswoman said that in a separate incident, at about 4pm, two men from Stoke on Trent, aged 23 and 43, were arrested for using threatening words and/or behaviour towards the police outside Bootham Crescent.

Also, at about 1.40pm, staff at the Hole in the Wall pub in High Petergate had called police to say 15 to 20 football fans were gathering outside, but were being refused admission because they appeared under age. They subsequently dispersed.

At about 2pm, a 45-year-old man in St Sampson’s Square who was behaving in an alcohol-fuelled, rowdy manner was also ordered to leave the city, but she did not know if this incident was football related.

Police have appealed for witnesses to the incident outside the Pink Pony to phone 101.