Birmingham fan pleads guilty to Grealish assault

A Birmingham City fan has pleaded guilty to assault after attacking Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish during the derby between the two sides on Sunday.

Paul Mitchell, 27, swung a punch at Grealish when his back was turned after running onto the pitch at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s stadium.

Mitchell, from Rubery, Worcstershire, admitted to invading the pitch as well as assaulting Grealish. He will be sentenced Monday afternoon.

The incident happened in the tenth minute of the match between the two rivals as Grealish walked away from the stands when the ball went out for a corner.

He required no further treatment and went on to score the winning goal for Aston Villa in the second half.

The defence said Mitchell’s family had been forced to move out of their home overnight through fears of “serious harm or even death”.