Hibs fan who hit Hearts 'keeper banned from football matches for a year

A Hibs supporter who hit the Hearts goalkeeper during a rowdy derby match at Tynecastle has been ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

21-year-old Edward Harrold from Musselburgh, was found guilty after trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in May of this year to punching Zdenek Zlamal on the face and causing him to fall to the ground.

Sentence had been deferred until today, when he was also banned from attending football matches for 12 months.

In his evidence, Zlamal had told Sheriff Alison Stirling how he had gone to collect the ball which had gone behind his goal into the Hibs' section of the crowd. "I was going to pick up the ball and throw it back into the game when someone hit me" he said.

Zlamal said he did not see who had hit him, saying: "I couldn't because my head was down. My nose was sore, but it was not anything. I was looking if there was blood from my nose, but I was not bleeding".

The goalie said he had fallen down because of the shock of being hit and added: "After I checked my nose I felt fine and got on with the game".

When defence solicitor, Ross Jenkins, asked Zlamal why he had gone back and clapped to the Hibs' fans, he replied: "It was the best way to answer the fist, because some people who are hurt punch back, but that is not my way".

Mr Jenkins put it to Zlamal he had been "tapped on the nose and theatrically fell to the ground". The keeper replied: "I never in my life was making it up. I don't like to be pretending to anything".

During the game, Hibs's manager Neil Lennon was hit by a coin thrown from the Heart's supporters' section of the stand.

Sentencing Harrold, Sheriff Stirling pointed out that he had a previous conviction for an offence at a football match.