A Sheffield Wednesday supporter who ran onto the pitch at the University of Bolton Stadium to hug a player after they scored a goal, has escaped a football ban.

Wigan and Leigh Magistrates Court heard Lee Merry had been going to games since he was five years old.

And when his team were playing Bolton Wanderers in April this year he got carried away, left his designated area and hugged a player during the game, which ended 1-1.

At court he admitted an offence of entering the playing area and faced the prospect of a three-year-ban from watching the team he loves.

Munaza Hussain, prosecuting .who applied for a ban to be imposed, said: “Footage shows the defendant on the pitch hugging a number of players who had just scored a goal.

“It was 66 minutes into the match.

“The nature of this application is reference to prevention of future risks.”

Catherine Lloyd, defending, said Merry, aged 30, would face onerous restrictions if a ban were imposed.

These would include a ban from entering a town where Sheffield Wednesday were playing at an away game and being forced to surrender his passport when England are playing away, even though he has never been to watch his country play.

“Mr Merry in his excitement has gone over the advertising boards and hugged one of the players before returning back over,” said Miss Lloyd.

“‘I asked what the reaction of the player was, he said ‘he hugged me back.’ “This isn’t an offence of violence, he has never been arrested at a football game.

“He is a lifelong Sheffield Wednesday fan, he has bene attending games since he was five to six - some 25 years.”

She added that Merry, of Sunnybank Crescent, Rotherham, has attended hundreds of games without any incidents occurring.

Chairman of the bench, Christopher Duckett, opted not to impose a ban.

He said: “We are aware that this is an escalating problem the police are having to deal with, but we are not satisfied there are reasons to believe applying a banning order would prevent violence or disorder.

“There was no violent behaviour, it was an isolated incident that did not escalate. You were not known to the football authorities until now.”

Merry was fined £500 and was ordered to pay a further £135 in costs.