Dunston UTS v Gateshead pre season football match cancelled in chaos as hearse and car invade pitch

A pre season football match between two Gateshead based clubs was forced to be cancelled at half time on Friday night after two cars, including a funeral hearse, drove onto the pitch at half time.

Dunston UTS and Gateshead FC had already played 45 minutes before the two vehicles drove onto the pitch at Wellington Road to the south of the Tyne.

Videos shared to social media show the two cars driving around the empty pitch with people in the hearse leaving the vehicle and getting into the second car before leaving the ground.

The game was cancelled due to the incident.

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Following the incident, a statement from Northumbria Police said: “Shortly before 8.20pm today (Friday) it was reported that two cars drove onto the pitch during half-time of the Dunston UTC v Gateshead match at Dunston Football Club on Wellington Road.

“Following this, both cars – a Subaru and a Hearse – have proceeded to drive around in circles and a group of males wearing balaclavas have then exited onto the pitch. They have then proceeded to throw a number of leaflets onto the pitch, before driving away from the area in the Subaru before police arrival. The Hearse was left abandoned on the pitch.

“Officers attended the scene within minutes where nobody was reported to have been injured or threatened.

An investigation was immediately launched – and a number of enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the report, and locate those involved.

While enquiries are at an early stage, it is believed that those involved are known to each other and there was no wider risk to the public."

The police are also urging the public to not speculate on the indident and to share any coverage of the incident with the police.

A statement from the home team, Dunston UTS, said: “We are all deeply saddened at the events that took place last night. Thankfully nobody was physically hurt or injured.

The club would like to put on record that one individual named on the leaflets distributed* during the pitch invasion, have had no connection with Dunston UTS FC, in any official capacity, for over 2 years. The other individual has no connection with our club whatsoever.

We stress, we are a family orientated community club and apologise for any distress felt by our supporters and visitors, particularly the younger fans.

We will be working as hard as ever to repair the damage caused to our pitch and perimeter fencing and look forward to the forthcoming season."