AN 18-year-old Oxford United fan has been banned from all football matches for five years after assaulting somebody at one match and running onto the pitch at another match.

Thames Valley Police said the ordeal would have been 'distressing' for people watching, and 'terrifying' for the victim.

Matthew Simms, from Pegasus Road in Oxford, pleaded guilty to one count of assault and one count of pitch encroachment at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

The first of two incidents happened at an Oxford United game at Cheltenham Town on January 8 this year. 

The U's won 4-1 on penalties after the match finished 1-1. 

There were 332 United fans at the game in a crowd of 1,288.

The second incident happened when Oxford hosted Sunderland on February 9.

In January, at the end of the match, Simms ran onto the pitch - an offence under the Football Offfences Act 1991.

Then in February, Simms assaulted a 19-year-old man in St Nicholas Road in Oxford.

He was charged on June 13 for the assault, and then for the football offences the day after. 

Sentencing, the judge handed the teenager a 12-month community order with 90 hours of unpaid work. 

He was also orderd to pay £125 compensation and £350 costs for the assault. 

For running onto the pitch he was fined £190 and must pay £350 plus £85 as well as being handed a five year football banning order.

Inspector Matthew Sulley, of the joint operations unit said: “We are very pleased with this sentence and hope that it acts as a strong deterrent for anyone who participates in such behaviour.

“These types of offences can have an impact on the thousands of people who attend football matches on a regular basis and enjoy themselves responsibly with friends and family.

“The incident of assault would have been distressing for the number of people who would have witnessed it among the supporter community, as well as being a terrifying experience for the victim himself.

“This sentence demonstrates that police will deal robustly with those who commit crime at football matches, and we will always seek a sentence through the courts.

“Thames Valley Police is committed to helping the clubs in our force area to keep those who commit crime away from the grounds, to ensure that supports can enjoy the events.”