POLICE are investigating an attack on a seven-year-old football fan who was sprayed in the face with a noxious substance during a fight involving about 10 youths, before the Scottish Cup semi-final between Celtic and Falkirk on Saturday.

Ian Barr, of Ardmore Court in Irvine, was on a stationary train in St Enoch underground station in the centre of Glasgow with his father, also Ian, and a family friend, when a group of about eight to 10 youths started fighting behind them at about 2.10pm.

As the group continued fighting, one of them discharged a canister of an unknown noxious substance into the face of the young boy who was standing nearby.

Ian, who was being taken to the football match at Ibrox Stadium when the incident occurred, was rushed to Glasgow's Royal Infirmary, where he was given an eye wash and later released.

Police inquiries have re-vealed that although the group of youths involved were not wearing football colours, they may have been heading to the same football match.

Mr Barr, 30, said yesterday that he and his son had been travelling to the match to support Celtic with family friend Claire Brodie, 31, and had just boarded the busy train when the incident occurred.

''I thought at first that it was a fire extinguisher, but my face was burning and my eyes were streaming. Ian was even worse and was shaking like a leaf. It all happened very quickly and all I remember is seeing some youths in their 20s standing at the door of the train shouting 'Falkirk, Falkirk.'

''By the time Ian was seen by a doctor the effects had worn off and we have been told that there shouldn't be any lasting damage.''

He added: ''We weren't able to go to the game, but Ian has said that he never wants to go back anyway, and you do wonder if it's worth taking a young boy to the football if this sort of thing happens.''

The officer in charge of the inquiry, Detective Constable Mark McCluskey of Stewart Street CID, has appealed for anyone who may have been in the underground station at the time and witnessed the incident, or anyone who has any information, to contact Stewart Street Police Office.

He said: ''This was a terrifying incident for the wee boy who was extremely frightened. We don't know what was in the cannister, but fortunately there were no permanent injuries.''

Mr Barr said: ''People were screaming and shouting as the station was evacuated, and my first concern was for Ian.

Celtic manager Tommy Burns yesterday invited Ian Jnr, his sister Laura, nine, Mr Barr and his wife Debbie, along with Ms Brodie to the Celtic-Aberdeen league match on Sunday. They will be VIP guests in the directors' box.

A Celtic spokeswoman said yesterday: ''It's distressing when anyone is involved in something like, but it's particularly upset ting because of little Ian.''

rfour-year-old football fan Andre Kilner, of Worsbrough Bridge, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, suffered fractures and head injuries when he fell from a double-decker coach on to the M62 near Saddleworth in Greater Manchester.

The boy, with 72 adults and children, was returning from a non-League football match in Liverpool, when he fell from a window onto the hard shoulder.

At Booth Hall children's hospital Manchester, a spokes-man said yesterday that his condition was ''stable''.