Two Portsmouth fans who donned high-vis vests and carried radio equipment in a bid to bluff their way into a sold-out south coast derby away at Southampton earned three-year match bans instead of front row seats after they were caught red-handed.

Brothers Kane and Dale Green arrived at St Mary's Stadium on September 14 without tickets. But armed with steward gear, they managed to infiltrate a restricted area metres away from the pitch less than an hour before the second-tier game kicked off.

However, their elaborate ruse unravelled when eagle-eyed security staff spotted the pair were not wearing proper match accreditation.

Hampshire Police said on Wednesday that both men pleaded guilty at Southampton Magistrates Court to fraud by false representation and going onto the playing area of a

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