FA to investigate Brunt coin incident

The Football Association is to investigate the incident in which West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt was struck by a coin thrown by one of the club’s supporters following the FA Cup tie at Reading on Saturday.

The coin struck Brunt just below his left eye as he went to applaud the visiting contingent seconds after the final whistle, prompting the Northern Ireland international to gesticulate angrily as he sought to find the culprit.

Brunt said he was “disgusted and ashamed” by the supporter’s actions, while Baggies boss Tony Pulis described it as “barbaric” and “criminal”.

And the FA has confirmed it will conduct its own probe into events at the Madejski Stadium.

A statement read: “The FA is investigating the incident in which an object was thrown at Chris Brunt at the end of the Reading v West Brom game as well as the crowd disturbances in the away section of the stadium.

“We strongly condemn any such behaviour and will work with both clubs and the authorities to identify those responsible.”

Brunt’s anger at being hit was matched by some of the West Brom fans, with several people attempting to accost the person they believed was responsible.

The visitors took the lead through Darren Fletcher, but went down 3-1 to the Championship side thanks to goals from Paul McShane, Michael Hector and Lucas Piazon.