A TEENAGER was mugged walking home from Tuesday’s cancelled Southend United game.

Blues fan Ashley Gay, 16, was one of hundreds of disgruntled fans forced to leave Roots Hall when the clash with Scunthorpe United was called off at the last minute.

Referee Keith Hill cancelled the game 20 minutes before kick-off, saying he could not guarantee the safety of the players on the frozen pitch.

Many fans have questioned why the decision was made so late – and it meant Ashley had to walk walked home rather then waiting for his grandfather to give him a lift at the end of the game.

Three hooded teenage boys approached him in the alleyway by the Short Street bus depot at about 8pm.

One punched him in the right eye and another stole his Samsung mobile phone.

Ashley said: “There were three of them.

“They asked me what the time was, then said they couldn’t hear me, so they came closer to me.

“I got my phone out to show them the time. Then one of them took it and the other one punched me. I ran off towards town.”

Ashley, of Guildford Road, Southend, is now sporting a bruised face.

He said: “It hasn’t come up yet, but it was sore afterwards.”

Police have arrested youths aged 17, 16, and 12, in connection with the incident. They were being questioned at Southend police station last night.

Fans leaving Roots Hall expressed anger at the late decision to cancel the Scunthorpe game.

Scunthope fans, who had made a faced a 400-mile round trip for the match, were especially annoyed, while Blues skipper Adam Barrett has also criticised the move.