A FOOTBALL hooligan who kicked at a train window following a football match was caught after a Wanderers fan filmed the incident and posted it on YouTube.

Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter Christian Denton pleaded guilty to attempting to cause criminal damage to the Northern Rail train he had boarded following his team's game at the Macron Stadium on January 31.

Denton, a 26-year-old fitness instructor, had been due to stand trial for the more serious offences of criminal damage — after the £1,000 window was kicked out of the train carriage — and obstructing a train by damaging the window.

But while the video showed Denton had kicked the window — it also proved he was not the person who dislodged it from the train.

Daniel Calder, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court that the incident occurred at 5.35pm when Wolves fans were boarding the train at Horwich Parkway and insults were being traded with Wanderers supporters stood on the railway station platform.

The train started to pull away and then someone pulled the emergency stop cord and, after it came to a halt, Denton was seen taking running kicks at the window.

Police were able to identify him because he had previously been subject to a football banning order after being involved in violence.

Defending, Coling Buckle said that until January Denton, a father of two young children, had kept out of trouble for several years and would not object to another banning order, preventing him from attending Wolves or England matches, being imposed.

He said: "It is something that is going to assist him in ensuring he concentrates on his family at the weekends instead of his former friends. It is time he grew up."

It also emerged in the court case that the two police officers who identified Denton as being the man who damaged the window copied each other's statements.

Mr Buckle said: "The statements contained the same spelling mistakes. It was a copy and paste exercise between the officers."

Recorder Ahmed Nadim told Denton that while he may not had damaged the window his behaviour "proved to be a catalyst" and fellow supporters copied him.

Denton, of Primrose Avenue, Bushbury, Wolverhampton, was sentenced to a 12-month community order and told he must do 200 hours unpaid work and pay £500 towards prosecution costs.

Another football banning order was made for five years.