AS THE broken glass was swept away and residents started to digest the medieval scenes which had descended on their quiet, leafy corner of Parson's Green, Crown Prosecutor Howard Tobias was called into action.

The previous evening up to 100 men armed with knives, broken bottles, pool cues and an ice hockey stick had fought a pitched battle outside The White Horse pub, after a three-all draw between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in March 2007.

More than 30 arrests were made and six people were admitted to hospital with stab wounds after fans clashed in what was believed to have been an organised punch-up in a quiet residential area with few CCTV cameras. Mr Tobias worked closely with

Met Police football officers to establish who would face charges for the disorder, which had raised the spectre of a return to the dark days of British football hooliganism of years gone by.

After a meticulous investigation, two men, one Chelsea and one Spurs supporter, were eventually handed suspended sentences for violent disorder and four year bans from attending matches.

Said Mr Tobias: "It was a great deterrent, because this type of person lives for football - or at least the violence they associate with it.

"It sent the message to that we take football related violence very seriously and will prosecute wherever we can."

Chelsea, home to a notorious group of around 200 fans known as 'the Headhunters', are just one of the London clubs with a CPS lawyer assigned to them to weigh up the evidence for prosecution in the event of violence and disorder.

Working hand-in-hand with police hooligan experts and spotters, the CPS seeks to bring swift prosecutions for a range of offences committed in or around London's football grounds.

It is a role that may become increasingly important if fears of younger fans joining the ranks of 'old school' thugs are borne out.

The concept has been so successful since its establishment last year that representatives from the South African Football Association are visiting the UK to seek advice on how to deal with any potential flash-points when they host the World Cup in 2012.

The long arm of the law even reaches on to the pitch. In March this year Chelsea's star striker, Didier Drogba, hurled a coin into a section of away fans from Burnley FC.

Mr Tobias was asked to assess the case for a charge.

He said: "We always prosecute according to the CPS code, no matter what the incident.

"In Mr Drogba's case it was felt appropriate to go ahead - he was cautioned by the police.

"The evidence was pretty much all captured on Sky TV. But it appears he was provoked by racist chanting from a section of Burnley fans and that's something that is still very much under investigation."

The message to supporters is that when the beautiful game is marred by ugly incidents, Mr Tobias and his fellow lawyers at each London club are never far away.