Why I spoke out against Sheffield Wednesday fans: Lee Bullen's partner Nicola tells of 'violent' Steel City Derby ordeal

Nicola Spencer, partner of former Owls star Lee Bullen, sparked debate when she told Owls supporters singing crude and "disgusting" chants about a female relative of Blades' boss Chris Wilder during Friday's 0-0 draw at Bramall Lane to stop.

Here's Nicola's statement in full:

"I have been asked why I have spoken out against our fans after the weekend and I feel that it is important to make something very clear, in my own words.

"Speaking to the (Star) journalist on Sunday was very much about the fact that a man in the street after the Derby chose to target me with some horrendous verbal abuse about Lee.

"He came up to me whilst I was waiting to be picked up by Lee and chose to violently verbally intimidate me by telling me exactly what he thought of Lee and who he is.

"Anyone that knows Lee would never speak about him this way, so I knew he didn’t, and although he said that he knew me, he didn’t, as he would have known that to speak to me the way he did would not be tolerated by me or by my friends.

"When the man got home he took to Facebook to say that he had met “Lee Bullen's other half, what a tramp” and that he “was gunna punch” me if I hadn’t been protected by others.

"The bigger story in all of this is the abuse against women in a football environment, and the new legislation to protect women being verbally abused in public places, which was highlighted in the articles in the press by pushing the crowd chants on Friday to the forefront of the story, which they will have seen as the bigger headline.

"We all know that chants against any women at any football match are a cheap shot, and that this happened at Hillsborough last year, and that it happens at a high number of stadiums up and down the country.

"The majority of intelligent individuals would agree that it is totally offensive, the difference is that, where one man was challenging me face to face in front of an increasingly angry group, it was deemed to be unacceptable to the point of protection, but a large crowd at a football match shouting in unison is deemed as banter, or fair game.

"To stop this, the only way forward is for people to turn to those in the wrong and make a point of asking them to stop, like I did on Friday, no matter who they are."