OFFICIALS and supporters of Irish League club Cliftonville said yesterday they were determined that the side would not be forced out of senior football by the violence which has taken place at two of their recent away games.

Club chairman Jim Boyce said that there was no question of the club withdrawing from this year's league campaign in the aftermath of Saturday's disturbances at Portadown. Two bus loads of Cliftonville supporters were attacked by around 150 loyalists who hurled bottles and stones at the vehicles.

The RUC had laid on additional security for the Shamrock Park fixture, at a total cost, they estimate, of about £60,000. Chief Inspector Andy Cully said, however, that the officers present had been assured that a protest by locals would be peaceful and that his men had been surprised by the extent of the trouble. The protest was over the alleged laying of a wreath by Cliftonville fans in Loughall as a tribute to eight IRA activists who were shot by the SAS in 1987.

In the end a number of visiting supporters as well as five RUC men were injured. Two arrests were subsequently made with more expected to follow over the coming days.

Saturday's game was the second away Cliftonville fixture this season to be marred by trouble after fans were prevented from reaching the Oval for a Cup semi final by local residents. The club's three supporters clubs, who met at its Solitude ground in north Belfast last night, discussed a number of ways to deal with the current problem.

One suggestion being considered is a voluntary ban on travelling to away games but although Boyce said the club would support whatever decision was eventually taken by the fans he pointed to the fact that traditional rivals Linfield had issued a statement yesterday emphasising that Cliftonville's team and their predominantly nationalist followers will be welcome at Windsor Park on Saturday.

"We're very encouraged by the attitude at Linfield and I think that it shows that the real football supporters at the club are very much behind us. The people who caused the problems at Portadown on Saturday weren't football supporters, the supporters were inside applauding our players onto the pitch. What went on outside was part of the legacy of Drumcree which we are caught up in now and which has caused massive problems in our community."

Boyce maintains that there is no threat to the club's first division status as a result of recent events and Irish League secretary Harry Wallace insists that there is widespread support for the club although he adds that "there are usually two sides to the story and there has been an element of provocation from the Cliftonville supporters which needs to be cleared up but their future is very much in their own hands."

For his part Boyce concedes that "we have an element that have brought the club's name into disrepute but so do all of the other clubs in the league, there is always a small group of trouble makers amongst the game's supporters. Basically, though, Cliftonville is a non political, non sectarian club with no time for this sort of trouble and we want to get on with things as soon as possible."

These sentiments were echoed by Liam Murray, the chairman of one of the club's three supporters' clubs, the Clifton Reds, who also condemned the reasoning behind Saturday's protest. "It was supposed to be over the laying of a wreath but we've looked into this and nobody from the club or any of the supporters groups seems to have known anything about it."

A new date for Saturday's match, which was abandoned when Cliftonville players refused to take the pitch for the second half, is likely to be set by a meeting of the League either tomorrow or Friday night while Saturday's home game against Crusaders is expected to go ahead as scheduled. If those games and the visit to Windsor Park, pass off without trouble then the doubts over Cliftonville's continued involvement in the Irish League should recede.