It was just the ferocity of the assault and the level and amount of ammunition they were using

Sgt Russell Lamb

He described how he and colleagues endured two hours of "ridiculous, mindless violence" at the hands of hundreds of supporters.

"It was one of the most frightening situations I have ever been in," said Sgt Lamb, who has served 15 years with the Met police.

"I have done the poll tax and May Day riots and Wapping in the 1980s and I am in no doubt that it was one of the most unbelievable and violent situations I have been in.

Intent on trouble

"It was just the ferocity of the assault and the level and amount of ammunition they were using," he said.

He said it had been difficult to tell officers to "stand their ground while these mindless trouble-makers were throwing lumps of concrete at them".

Police said around 900 Millwall fans left the ground intent on trouble after the game.

They grouped outside the New Den, the club's home stadium in Bermondsey, east London.

The level of violence shocked police

Mr Lamb said: "Officers were falling over in pain.

"The crowd were laughing at the officers. They were laughing in their faces and taunting them."

Sgt Lamb needed seven stitches in his chin after being hit in the face by a lump of concrete the size of a cricket ball. He also suffered a knee and foot injury in the attacks.

"One of my colleague's visors was split in two when a brick hit it," Sgt Lamb added.

"You could not believe the amount of debris.

"Every single car had a brick on the back seat, concrete had been thrown through wind screens and sun roofs."

'Mindless idiots'

Like his fellow officers, Sgt Lamb said he was "shocked, stunned and upset" that such violence could be spawned by a football match.

He felt sadness for local people who woke up to debris in their streets on Friday morning.

Every single car had a brick on the back seat, concrete had been thrown through wind screens and sun roof

Sgt Russell Lamb

"The people who live in this area go to work to pay for their possessions," he said.

"They do not work so that these mindless idiots can ruin their lives because their team could not score a goal."

And he said the hooligans could not class themselves as football fans.

"They just wanted to prove that they were tougher than other people," he added.