Young pitch invader 'not banned'

The boy was spoken to by police

A nine-year-old Everton fan who invaded the pitch and tried to tackle a player will not be banned from future matches, the club says.

The boy made a sliding tackle at Middlesbrough's Franck Queudrue during a Carling Cup match at Goodison Park on Thursday evening.

The incident happened after Queudrue had been involved in a bust-up with Everton midfielder Leon Osman.

The club says the boy had a "stiff talking to" by stewards and police.

The ball was not in play when the boy, who was with his older brother, ran on.

Everton FC spokesman Ian Ross said: "We take any incident of this type seriously, but considering the boy's young age, we will not be taking further action against him.

'Sharp shock'

"He got a stiff talking to from our stewards and the police, and we called his parents to come and collect him.

"We are hoping the short, sharp verbal shock will prevent him doing anything like that again."

A spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said the boy was under the age of criminal responsibility.

Everton lost the match 1-0.