Football fan pleads not guilty to storming pitch and threatening referee

Ted Piolunowicz, 63, allegedly ran on to the pitch at Vale Park and confronted the referee as Port Vale played Portsmouth in January.

A football fan accused of running on to the pitch and using threatening behaviour towards the referee during Port Vale’s match against Portsmouth in January has pleaded not guilty (Jess Hornby/PA) (PA Wire)

A football fan accused of running on to the pitch and using threatening behaviour towards a referee has pleaded not guilty.

Ted Piolunowicz, 63, allegedly stormed the pitch at Vale Park in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, and confronted referee Craig Hicks during Port Vale’s match against Portsmouth on January 27.

Top-of-the-table Portsmouth won the League One match 1-0 after Hicks awarded an 88th-minute penalty to the visitors.

Piolunowicz was arrested and charged by Staffordshire Police with one count of going on to the playing area at a football match and one of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence.

Piolunowicz, of Newshaw Walk in Stoke-on-Trent, appeared at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Thursday to plead not guilty to both charges.

He is next due to appear at the same court for a case management hearing on May 9 and is on bail, with one condition not to attend any football matches in the UK.