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DTotD: Crawley defender slaps a fan in the face

Ryan Bailey

Brentford took a step closer to promotion to the Championship on Tuesday evening with a 1-0 win over Crawley, but the game was overshadowed by an Eric Cantona-style confrontation between a player and a fan in the stands.

While Crawley were chasing an equalizer, defender Paul Connolly went to the touchline to collect the ball and take a throw-on. However, in the time-honored tradition of trying to wind up the opposition, a Brentford fan threw the ball a little too hard at the Crawley man.

Connolly took exception to the forceful delivery and responded by slapping the fan upside the head. Before the full-back had the chance to demand satisfaction with a full-on duel, a group of stewards intervened to calm the situation down.

The referee took no action at the time, but Connolly could be in trouble when the Football League investigates the incident.

This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events.

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Ryan Bailey

is a writer for Dirty Tackle on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!