Great-grandson of West Bromwich Albion legend Jeff Astle hit by coin while watching the football team's away fixture at Fratton Park in Portsmouth

Ten-year-old George Astle was watching the match at Fratton Park in Portsmouth on Saturday alongside his grandmother Dawn and other family members, representing three generations of Albion supporters in the away end.

The incident occurred at half-time as Dawn and George made their way to the concourse. George cried out after being hit, with another young supporter spotting that a 50p coin had struck his head.

Dawn Astle, who founded the Jeff Astle Foundation and was awarded an MBE last year for services to footballers with dementia, described the incident as “irresponsible” and “outrageous”.

“I get rivalry — I’ve been going to football long enough — but there was no rivalry,” she said. “Pompey were winning two nil. Every club has its idiots, but it just happened to be my grandson, who wouldn’t harm a fly. He was just there to watch the club he loves.”

As the second half got underway, a lump developed where George had been hit and he was taken to a first aid point, where he was treated with a cold compress.

“My priority was keeping him calm,” Dawn said. “But as his grandma I couldn’t believe he was watching the second half with a cold compress on his head. The more I stood there, the more angry I got — it could have blinded him.”

George, a season ticket holder at The Hawthorns for several years, has only been attending away matches for the past two seasons. Dawn said she hopes the incident does not discourage him from following Albion on the road.

“It’s nice that there are three generations of us supporting West Brom — me, my son and George,” she said. “Nobody deserves that, but he definitely didn’t.”

Despite the incident, Dawn praised Portsmouth’s stewards and safeguarding officer for their response on the day.

Portsmouth FC have confirmed that an investigation is ongoing and that they will pursue criminal charges if the individual responsible is identified. The club has also stated that any offender will face a ban from Fratton Park.

In a statement, a Portsmouth spokesperson said the club were “upset and distressed” by the incident and confirmed that CCTV footage is being provided to police.

Dawn said she hopes the person responsible is identified.

“There is no place in football for this,” she said. “It’s bad enough if anyone is injured — but a little kid, and the grandson of someone who gave so much to the game — it’s outrageous.”

Albion supporters and members of the wider football community, including Portsmouth fans, have since sent messages of support to the Astle family.