Chris Brunt says coin thrown by West Brom fan could have blinded him

West Brom's Chris Brunt has revealed his anguish at being hit by a coin hurled by his own fan after the FA Cup defeat at Reading on Saturday.

The Northern Ireland international was left with a cut under his left eye after the ugly incident happened when he went to hand his shirt to a Baggies supporter following their shock loss at the Madejski Stadium.

The police have confirmed they will be speaking to Brunt as they continue to investigate the crowd disturbances, while the Football Association is also probing the behaviour of the West Brom fans.

Thames Valley Police appealed for the public to come forward with any information on Sunday.

Asked if the coin could have blinded him, the 31-year-old said: "It could have done but it is done now, you can accept criticism and accept people having a go in games for not playing well individually or as a team but you can't accept people throwing stuff.

"I can't pick that coin up and throw it back at him. If I did that, I would be all over the news and probably sitting in a police cell. It is definitely not on.

Police action

Chris Brunt to speak to police about the coin incident

"I was pretty angry in the heat of the moment. I didn't see what happened, I turned around and got hit by a coin. I don't know who threw it, I don't know where it came from. It is a brave man to throw a coin from there and a braver
man if he admits to it.

"I don't really see how that was any different to whacking someone in the street. We are not allowed to do it and nobody is allowed to do it in the street so why should he be allowed to throw coins at football matches?

"He was probably lucky the police were there, otherwise he might have got collared by me if I had known who he was."

But Brunt does not expect anyone who threw the coin to apologise to him, despite widespread condemnation about the incident.

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He added: "Probably not, but it would show and make him a bigger man than what he was to throw a coin from 20 yards away to hit me in the head if he owned up to it. You are throwing football back 20 years with some of the behaviour there.

"My wife and kids were going to come to the game today but I am glad they didn't because if my kids had witnessed that, I would have been gutted."

Brunt is Albion's longest-serving current player, having made 313 appearances since joining from Sheffield Wednesday in 2007.

He added: "Nobody deserves that, it doesn't matter whether I have been here 10 years or 10 minutes. Nobody deserves to have stuff thrown at them on the football pitch."

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