Premier League Match Interupted As Assistant Referee is Hit By Smoke Bomb

An assistant referee was today struck by a firework thrown during a Premier League football match.

David Bryan, who was running the line in front of Tottenham Hotspur fans at Aston Villa, was hit by a flare or smoke bomb thrown after Andros Townsend opened the scoring for Spurs in the first half.

Hundreds of thousands of TV viewers watched on Sky Sports 1 as the blue firework was launched from a section of Spurs fans in the Doug Ellis Stand during the game at Villa Park in Birmingham.

The restart after the 31st-minute goal was delayed after the incident this afternoon but Mr Bryan, who appeared to have been hit on the back of the neck, was fit to continue.