Conor McKearney, aged 26, did not regularly attend football matches but went to The Hawthorns on January 28 this year using a friend’s “spare ticket”, Dudley Magistrates Court heard this week.
Disorder broke out in the stands at the FA Cup fourth round match between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the game was halted for more than half an hour after clashes between fans.
Violence flared in the stands and fans spilled on to the pitch.
After the trouble subsided, police scoured video from the match and identified a man throwing a flare onto the playing surface.
Prosecutor Megan Jewkes told the court on Tuesday that McKearney was picked up by a police officer’s bodyworn camera.
“After the disorder died down, footage was reviewed and the defendant was seen holding a flare over his head, then proceeding to throw that flare onto the football pitch.”