A MAN from York could face jail for his part in the football violence that led to St Helen’s Square being sealed off by police earlier this month.

Darren Leigh Cummings was aggressive towards Hull City supporters at the Punchbowl in Blossom Street some hours before the two teams were due to meet in a pre-season friendly on July 17.

After the incident, 40 or 50 visiting fans made their way through Coney Street to Lendal Cellars where they barricaded themselves in.

A dozen police vans descended on St Helen’s Square and officers including dog handlers closed it off for a couple of hours and cleared shops in the area before riot police stormed the pub.

The Hull group was then marched by a police escort to the railway station.

Cummings, 36, of Lindsey Avenue, Acomb, who has previous convictions for public disorder, pleaded guilty to using insulting or threatening words and behaviour.

Magistrates ordered probation officers to prepare a pre-sentence report and released him on unconditional bail.

They warned him he could be jailed when he returns to court on August 23 to learn his fate. His offence carries a maximum prison sentence of six months.

The visiting fans arrived at about 10am by train for the afternoon kick-off and immediately headed for the Punchbowl. But York City fans were already in the pub and after the Cummings incident, police persuaded the Hull group to go to another part of the city centre.

They headed over the river and within half an hour, members of the group were throwing bottles in St Helen’s Square and police had to call in reinforcements. The incident, which hit national headlines, saw a large deployment of riot police.

Dozens of police, including armed officers, escorted the Hull contingent back to the railway station and some accompanied the fans on the 1.36pm train back to Hull.

•An 18-year-old from Beverley and a 16-year-old, from Hull, both arrested on the day, are due to answer police bail tomorrow and police say they are expecting to make more arrests.