Fan who hit Melbourne keeper with metal bucket has jail term overturned

A football fan who hit Melbourne City keeper Tom Glover in the face with a metal bucket during a pitch invasion last year had his jail term overturned on Friday.

Alex Agelopoulos was sentenced to three months in jail along with a community corrections order in August over the incident in an A-League match last December.

Glover was left bloodied and concussed after being struck in the face by the bucket as Victory fans stormed the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium pitch. City later said he suffered a suspected concussion and needed several stitches.

Victory formally apologised to Glover, referee Alex King and a cameraman who was also injured.

Agelopoulos appealed his sentence in the Victorian County Court where his lawyer argued it was unfair that he was the only pitch-invader to be jailed.

The judge struck off the 24-year-old’s jail term and handed down a three-and-a-half-year community corrections order, with 350 hours of unpaid work.

Agelopoulos remains banned from attending all soccer matches for five years.