Police have said that they took ample measures to "ensure the safety" of fans as Woking FC travelled to arguably one of their biggest games of the season at local rivals Aldershot Town for an 'electric' Boxing Day derby.
Luckily however, it seemed the fans were still feeling the Christmas cheer as some fans who attended the game said they felt like they "were all one family".
The game ended in a 2-2 stalemate which granted the Surrey and Hampshire teams each a valuable point as they both fight against relegation from the National League.
Nicknamed the 'Hampshire-Surrey derby', like many footballing rivalries across the UK, fans are known to be hostile towards one another; which sometimes results in violence. Clearly, fans of both teams were excited for the game, as tickets sold out and the game saw around 5,400 fans in Aldershot's EBB Stadium.
Before the match police in Aldershot created a 'dedicated policing plan' to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all fans at the game.
As part of this, police officers were authorised to use dispersal powers between 10.30am on Thursday December 26 to 3am on Friday December 27. This allowed officers to navigate fans of both teams away from one another to limit the number of encounters between the rivals fans.
Enforcing this was seen as a priority for the police in Aldershot following recent matches between the two teams which saw "reports of a minority of spectators engaging in anti-social behaviour".
The police statement went on to say: "We recognise the vast majority of football fans come to enjoy the match and these powers will help us deal with the minority who spoil the experience for everyone else."
Fortunately, it seems as if much of the fans at the game were still feeling the festive cheer and comradery from Christmas the day prior, as there were no reports of significant amounts of anti-social behaviour amongst the fans.
SurreyLive spoke to one of the fans who attended the game, Mohammed who travelled to Aldershot to watch the game with his younger brother. The 21-year-old and his brother are Woking FC fans and said that getting a ticket for the derby was a struggle.
Mohammed said: "It was a great game with a great atmosphere. The passion on both sides really grew towards the end of the second half as both teams looked for a winner.
"Honestly it felt in the stands like we were all one family, they (Aldershot fans) may have been more accommodating because I was with my younger brother. But it was a really nice atmosphere; we came out with smiles on our faces."
