Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover was left bloodied after a metal bucket was thrown at his head during a pitch invasion on Saturday.
The A-League derby between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory was abandoned in the first half after fans invaded the pitch.
The incident was sparked after a Melbourne Victory supporter threw a flare onto the pitch in the 20th minute.
Glover then picked up the flare which landed near him inside his penalty area and threw it back into the crowd.
A group of supporters immediately ran towards the pitch, pushed the advertising boards over and went to confront Glover.
Security staff rushed in to protect Glover but the 24-year-old was hit in the head with a metal bucket thrown by a fan.
Glover, who was left with a cut to his cheek, was then pulled away from the situation by his Melbourne City teammates.
The match was subsequently abandoned due to fears over player safety.
Ahead of the game, both sets of supporters were already angered by the A-League’s decision to host the next three grand finals in Sydney.
During the first half, Melbourne City fans hit out at the APL’s chief executive Danny Townsend by chanting, ‘Danny Townsend, you ruined the league’ before unfurling a banner which read: ‘Football without fans is nothing!!’
Fans had also threatened to stage a walkout in protest of the decision.
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