A ‘cowardly’ football supporter who ‘rammed’ a rival fan’s head into a toilet wall at an FA Cup match has been jailed.

Blackburn Rovers fan Peter Smith, from Oswaldtwistle, attacked Manchester United supporter Paul Rooney as he was about to use the urinal at Ewood Park during an FA Cup clash last year.

Burnley Crown Court heard how dad-of-one Smith grabbed hold of the back of Mr Rooney’s head before ‘slamming’ it into the wall and then fleeing the scene.

The victim’s head was ‘split open and pouring with blood’ and he was left with a 10cm cut to the top of his head which required hospital treatment. He has now been left with a visible permanent scar.

Smith, of Hargreaves Road, pleaded guilty to wounding and was jailed for 21 months. He was also handed a six-year football banning order.

Lancashire Police said he was caught after they received 15 calls through a media appeal.

Prosecutor Kate Hammond said Mr Rooney had travelled to the match on February 19 last year with a Rovers supporter and during the game they sat with Blue and Whites fans. Ms Hammond said they were ‘not wearing any distinctive clothing or anything that would have identified them as to which team they supported’.

Ten minutes before the end of the game Mr Rooney and his friend left and stopped at the gents toilets.

The court heard how Smith, 34, followed them inside and told Mr Rooney: “You’re a f****** United fan”. He grabbed his head and ‘rammed’ it in into the urinal wall before running off.

When Mr Rooney’s friend tried to run after him he was confronted by an unknown second man who was ‘aggressive and trying to start a fight’, the hearing heard.

Ms Hammond said the victim was treated by club stewards and staff before being taken to hospital where his head wound was stitched.

Full-time carer Smith was later identified on CCTV and told officers that he accidentally banged into his brother, causing him to fall into Mr Rooney who then fell into the wall.

Peter Smith, 34, of Hargreaves Road, Oswaldtwistle. Pleaded guilty to s20 wounding. Jailed for 21 months and given a six year football banning order.

Ms Hammond said there ‘clearly had to be premeditation and knowledge that this man was a Manchester United supporter’ and alcohol was ‘clearly consumed’.

In a victim impact statement Mr Rooney said he was forced to take a week off work, had headaches and pain in his neck and was left with a scar in a ‘prominent position’ on his head.

Judge Philip Parry said Peter Smith’s actions were ‘utterly mind-boggling’.

The court heard how Smith was on licence from prison when he attacked Paul Rooney after being jailed for 27 months in December 2015 for supplying class A drugs.

Judge Parry heard how Smith was now the full-time carer for his 66-year-old mother who has terminal cancer and his ‘gravely ill father’ who also suffers from cancer.

A letter from Rev Anthony Roberts, the vicar at Holy Trinity Church in Oswaldtwistle, said Smith was a ‘trustworthy young man’ and praised his commitment to his mother.

However the judge told Smith that he had ‘no one to blame but yourself’ after sending him to jail.

Sentencing, he said: “For whatever reason you decided that you had violence on your mind and you dished it out to the unfortunate Mr Rooney.

“Your family are quite frankly baffled that you came out of prison, no doubt having sworn to them that you learnt your lesson and would never go back, and on this day at Ewood Park something took hold of you to then take hold of Mr Rooney and slam his head into the wall. For your family it must be utterly mind-boggling as to why you did what you did.

“To ram somebody’s head into a wall seems to me to be just as equal as to pick up a brick and hit it on somebody’s head.

“Like a coward you ran away having seen no doubt your actions caused his head to split and blood to pour out.

“The days of violence at football grounds ought to be consigned to history. Understandably Blackburn Rovers condemns this kind of behaviour.”

Defence barrister Neil Howard said it is ‘pure fortune’ that more serious injuries were not inflicted.

He told the court that it was ‘out of character’, an ‘isolated incident’ and that Smith is ‘remorseful’.

He said: “The family is at an absolute loss of what possessed Mr Smith that day to carry out this offence. It is a deeply religious family and they are deeply ashamed and embarrassed because of his actions. Mr Smith’s mother is the longest serving employee of Blackburn Rovers FC.

“She has been employed by that football club for many years and that only compounds the distress that it has caused to the family.”

A statement from Rovers safety officer Stuart Caley said they fully supported the prosecution and application for a banning order. United won the match 2-1.