A REAL Madrid fan from Trowbridge has been banned from football matches for three years after a pitch invasion.

Nathaniel Morgan was watching his side play Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on April 26 in the semi-final of the Champions League, when he climbed over a barrier between the stand and the pitch at the end of the game.

Players from both teams remained on the pitch at full-time, some conducting post-match interviews.

Morgan ran towards the Madrid players, but only got five meters into the prohibited area when a steward caught up with him and restrained him.

He was subsequently charged with going onto an area adjacent to the playing area, an offence under the Football (Offences) Act 1991, and pleaded guilty at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court.

Appearing on July 28 for sentencing, the 30-year-old was fined £350, ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £35 victim surcharge.

Morgan, from Cottles Barton in Staverton, near Trowbridge, was also issued with a three-year football banning order.

In a Professional Football Association (PFA) impact statement, the chair, John Mousinho, said: "As a game and society, we need to concentrate on deterrents and reinforce the fundamental fact that entering a football pitch is a criminal offence, and one that will be punished consistently regardless of circumstances."