A YOB is today barred from football grounds for nine months after he was arrested before the Ipswich v Norwich game, despite not having a ticket for the match.

Paul Keltie, of Wherstead Road, Ipswich, admitted threatening behaviour and resisting arrest in Portman Road on April 21 when he appeared before South East Suffolk Magistrates’ Court.

However, the 24-year-old said he only watched football occasionally and had accidentally been caught up among hundreds of Town fans who were baiting Norwich supporters.

Keltie, an office manager, claimed he was walking outside the ground when he went over to see some friends and ended up in the front rank of fans trying to push through a police cordon.

District Judge David Cooper conceded Keltie appeared to be a victim of circumstance.

However, he gave him a nine-month football banning order from games in England and Wales.

Prosecutor Tess James said the incident occurred at 7.40pm when crowds had gathered before the East Anglian derby which Town lost 5-1.

As a large number of Ipswich fans were being held back by police while Norwich supporters were being escorted to the visitors’ section, Keltie came to the attention of Pc Stewart McIlroy.

The court heard Keltie kept banging against the police cordon and behaving aggressively.

Pc McIlroy had to extend his baton and hit Keltie on the thigh on four or five occasions, but it seemed to make no difference.

Keltie was then dragged across the cordon by police, but resisted arrest until Sergeant Alistair Livingstone threatened to use Pava spray on him.

When interviewed, Keltie claimed he had seen friends while walking home and went over to speak to them before getting caught up in the crowd.

He added he could not move backwards from the police cordon due to the weight of numbers behind him.

Mark Holt, representing Keltie, said his client had become engulfed by the crowd outside the stadium.

Addressing Judge Cooper, Mr Holt added: “He wasn’t even going to the game. He was just passing at the time. He didn’t anticipate joining that group of people would bring him before you today.”

In addition to his banning order, Keltie was told to pay �85 towards prosecution costs.