WITNESSES have described seeing casualties lying at the side of the road after a violent attack carried out by two teenage Barrow AFC fans which police say could have been fatal.

The incident took place after the final whistle at the Barrow AFC vs. York game last September, as away supporters were making their way home from Holker Street.

As two minibuses travelled along the A590, a pair of youths hurled rocks and stones, smashing the windows and forcing the drivers to stop.

A York fan onboard one of the minibuses told the Evening Mail: "We were just pulling away from the ground when we just heard a massive bang. Next thing we know everyone is getting out of the bus, glass everywhere.

"The injured people were lying by the side of the road, the passers-by in their cars were shocked at the sight of blood everywhere."

Two fans, Phil Howden and Kevin Atkinson, suffered injuries and spent the rest of the day at Furness General Hospital.

The witness added: "I was reaching into my bag to get a bottle of water, if I had been looking out of the window I would probably be dead now. Those lads were lucky as somebody could easily have died and there were kids on the bus."

After an extensive police investigation, two teenage boys from Barrow, aged 15 and 16, were charged and last week were given five-year football banning orders after pleading guilty to a string of assault and criminal damage offences. The pair cannot be named because of their age.

Magistrates sitting at South Cumbria Youth Court ordered that Mr Howden receive £250 in compensation, Mr Atkinson receive £200 in compensation and that £100 be paid to Tower Travel and £50 paid to Marc Collins.

The 15-year-old was also given a youth rehabilitation order and the 16-year-old was given a referral order.

The witness said he hoped the punishment would make the teenagers "get their acts together".

He said: "I do feel a bit sorry for the lads because sometimes teenagers do stupid things in groups without thinking about the consequences. Hopefully they will get their acts together and grow up a bit."

Police in York, who were involved in the investigation, said after the sentencing: "Glad to say following the attack in Barrow Kevin Atkinson and Phil Howden have made a decent recovery from an horrendous ordeal."

The officers in York, who praised their Barrow counterparts for bringing the pair to justice, described the incident as a "disturbing time for York City fans" and added that they "won't forget the sight of the injuries, shock and trauma caused".

Inspector Gareth Jesson of Barrow Police said: "We welcome the sentencing decision from the court, which supports the lengthy and detailed investigation carried out by officers.

"This was a particularly cowardly attack on innocent victims, and it is no stretch to say that we could have been looking at fatalities.

"I feel sure the vast majority of football fans in this town would wish to disassociate themselves with this incident, and the actions of a few have unfortunately tarnished their good reputation.

"It is reassuring to know the courts take such unacceptable behaviour seriously and I hope this verdict serves as a suitable reminder to others that this sort of behaviour has no place whatsoever in relation to football, or in society."