Rangers fans cram into Albert Square, Manchester, last night to watch their team play against Zenit St Petersburg on big TV screens. Rioting broke out later on in the Piccadilly area when one of the screens broke down. (0580413)

TWO Rangers supporters from Guernsey who travelled to Manchester for the Uefa Cup final escaped Wednesday night’s violent clashes between fans and police.

Willie Kennedy and his son Adam, 27, were in the city along with 150,000 other Ibrox fans to watch their team play Zenit St Petersburg in what was billed as the club’s European dream of a lifetime. But the day’s carnival atmosphere soured as police came under severe attack from spectators when technical problems hit one of three fan-zone big screens, in Piccadilly Gardens, forcing the supporters to hunt for somewhere else to watch the game.

When other areas were full, trouble started – ending in rioting and 42 arrests. The Kennedys, who had tickets for the match at the 47,000-capacity City of Manchester stadium, were away from the violence but knew of several Guernsey people caught up in the clashes.

‘As far as I know, none were involved or injured,’ said Mr kennedy, a lifelong Rangers fan, speaking on the phone from Manchester yesterday.