A self-confessed football hooligan was banned from every football ground in Wales and England, with the only exception being when he was present in his role as a first-team manager.

Andy Nicholls, from North Wales, received a Football Banning Order (FBO) in October 2003, which prevented him from visiting every football ground in England and Wales for two years.

The sentence was issued after Everton fan Nicholls, formerly a season ticket holder at Goodison Park, admitted being involved in match-day violence for 20 years in his book, Scally: Confessions of a Category C Football Hooligan.

In the book, the former factory worker claimed he escaped with just one prison sentence, despite 19 arrests for football-related violence. He also claimed to have carried out violent attacks in 2002.

Nicholls was hit with a two-year ban after being summoned to Liverpool magistrates' court, but an exception was made if Welsh Alliance League side Holywell Town, the team he managed, was scheduled to play at a certain ground.

"I was concerned that the order should not prevent me carrying out my duties as manager at Holywell Town," Nicholls said at the time.

"If we were to win the Welsh Cup we could qualify for the UEFA Cup and that could take us to any stadium in Europe. Under this order, I will be able to attend any ground in my role as a manager. That was the thing I was most concerned to establish."

Nicholls claimed the case was brought against him to prevent him from travelling to Istanbul to see England's European Championship qualifier against Turkey.

Six worst English football hooligan firms were named in report

Nicholls also claimed he touted tickets to Italians before the Heysel disaster in 1985.

The year 1985 was a watershed moment for football hooliganism, with UEFA banning all English clubs from European competition for five years following the scenes at Brussels' Heysel stadium.

The ban was imposed after the riots at the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus, which resulted in 39 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

It was an incident that highlighted the widespread football hooliganism in England at the time. In fact, the BBC broadcast a special Six O'Clock News report in 1985, which listed the worst football hooligan firms in England.

London clubs Millwall, West Ham and Chelsea were among those most associated with hooliganism, particularly in the 70s and 80s, and they were all named in the report alongside Leeds United, Bristol City and Blackpool.