A football fan who defied police advice to keep out of York City's ground has been banned from soccer matches for three years.

An officer spotted that Mark Stephen Walker, aged 45, was drunk as he and 11 others approached Bootham Crescent ten minutes before kick-off in the Ministermen's match with Brighton and Hove Albion, said Steven Ovenden, prosecuting.

"He (Sawyer) was warned that if he attempted to enter the football ground, he would be arrested," said Mr Ovenden.

Eight minutes later, Brighton supporter Walker went through the turnstiles and police arrested him.

Walker, a bricklayer of Surrendon Park, Brighton, pleaded guilty to entering a sports ground while drunk.

Magistrates banned him from all professional soccer matches in England and Wales and all international matches involving the two national teams for three years. They also fined him £50 with £55 costs.

Mark Thompson, for Walker, said his client had not caused any problems, had gone quietly when arrested and had not sworn at or attacked anyone.

It was the first time in 18 years he had been to a football match.

He had arrived in York with a group of friends, one of whom was already inside the ground with Sawyer's rail ticket when police first spoke to him.

He had then entered the ground to find him.

After his arrest, he had had to make his own way back to Brighton and then pay for a second trip to York for the court case.