A game of two pie halves

Gianluca Vialli takes his Watford side to The Den tonight for a Nationwide First Division game wondering what English football will throw at him next. At Rotherham on Saturday it was a meat pie. At Millwall's home game against Birmingham last week, half a pie was thrown - part of the trend of bunging nonthreatening foodstuffs on to the field of play. Here is a list of the crazier missiles which have found their way on to the pitch...

Weetabix (Bristol Rovers)

Rovers fans became cereal offenders at Shrewsbury Town one day when they left their breakfast all over the Gay Meadow pitch. A band of hungry Gasheads were in the pub before kick-off when a call went up for food. The landlord had run out of victuals, so a confused Bristol youth was sent to the supermarket for supplies. The daft lad came back with armfuls of Weetabix, and no milk. His pals took the inedible bricks of wheat to the match and lobbed them on to the turf in disgust.

Oatcakes (Stoke City)

An oatcake is Stoke-on-Trent's major contribution to world cuisine. It is a floppy, brown-coloured pancake made with oatmeal. Oatcakes are among the least aerodynamic foodstuff ever invented, yet a skilled Stokie can propel one for at least 100 yards. The craze for chucking did not survive the move from The Victoria Ground to The Britannia Stadium after police reclassified them as offensive weapons.

Carrots (Middlesbrough)

This was all Tony Adams's fault. Way back when the Arsenal stalwart was derided for his perceived ineptitude with a ball at his feet, cruel critics likened him to a donkey.
Middlesbrough fans have been credited with being the first to draw attention to his mule-esque abilities by offering him carrots during the match. One wag set up a stall outside Ayresome Park (RIP) under a sign saying: "Don't forget to feed the donkey."

Sausages (Newcastle United)

Chris Waddle upset his old pals on Tyneside when he moved to Spurs and suggested that he was looking forward to playing for a "class outfit" for a change. On his first return to St James' Park, the air was filled with bangers, as the Geordie faithful reminded Waddle of his humble origins as a sausage factory employee.

Mars Bars (Newcastle United)

More food-related fun on Gallowgate as Paul Gascoigne returned with his fancy new mates from White Hart Lane. The Toon Army showered him with Slough's finest export, reminding him that he was still a chubby guzzler from Gateshead.