Terry Coles was approaching the ground when he was fatally injured

On Friday - the fifth day of the hearing into the death of the 42-year-old father-of-two - Alan Roberts described the sequence of events leading up to the incident.

Mr Coles was fatally injured after being in collision with a police horse after trouble broke out before the Division Three decider between Rotherham and Swansea City on 6 May 2000.

Earlier in the week, the coroner heard how Terry Coles - who travelled up with a group of fans in a minibus - had been drinking before the match and tests showed he was four times the limit for driving.

And during evidence from the police, the court heard how Mr Coles was seen on CCTV footage throwing objects into the stadium and how he "walked into the path of the police horse".

In a statement read out to the hearing at Doncaster Magistrates Court, Mr Roberts said Swansea supporters were spat at and were the target of missiles hurled by opposing fans which led to retaliatory stone-throwing outside Rotherham's Millmoor ground.

It was the front chest area of the horse that hit him. Terry never saw it and he never looked round. Swansea supporter Brian Pridmore

"It was totally out of control and lots of people didn't want to get involved," his statement read.

After seeing a police horse heading towards him, Mr Roberts said he had got out of the way.

"I noticed him (the horse) pick up speed and I would describe it as running.

"The rider appeared to be in control and was holding the reins."

Shortly after Mr Roberts told how the animal approached a man he later found out was Terry Coles.

"There was no way it was going to stop in time," he said then describing how it hit with a "terrific force", knocking Mr Coles off his feet.

Then, his statement went on, the horse's hoof landed on his chest.

"As the full weight of the horse came down on him, his shoulders and head appeared to raise about five or six inches... His eyes appeared to be popping out of his head."

As the horse moved on, Mr Roberts said fans who had witnessed what had happened became angry with the mounted officer.

Trouble flared between rival fans outside the football ground

"The horse was really spooked by this time and the rider was struggling to control it, I believe that if they had got to him they would have been attacked and seriously hurt."

In another witness statement, Swansea fan Brian Pridmore said: "The police horse didn't stop. It appeared to be slipping."

"I then saw the police horse hit Terry in the back.

"It was the front chest area of the horse that hit him. Terry never saw it and he never looked round."

He continued: "I think Terry landed on his face or side. I then saw the mounted officer pull the reins up but the horse had nowhere to go. The horse then trampled on Terry, on his head.

"It just looked as though the horse was trying to avoid Terry but had nowhere to go. It was obviously frightened. It wasn't the horse's fault. The rider was trying to get the horse out of the way.

"The horse then shot off out of the way."

The inquest continues.