'I didn't care about the bottles. I had to save him from the pack of wolves'

IT WAS the footage that sent waves of shock and revulsion around the world and brought shame on Scotland.

The CCTV images showed lone policeman Mick Regan being taunted by a mob of Rangers fans before he was knocked to the ground and kicked and punched in a flurry of blows.

Only one man amid the mayhem had a different objective in mind – to rescue Regan and haul him to safety. The hero of Manchester was named yesterday as 23-year-old Tom Bardsley, a former Army medic who was on his way home but found himself caught up in the violent scenes.

Bardsley said he feared that Regan was "not going to make it" away from a "pack of wolves who had not been fed for days".

The officer had just got to his feet after being attacked by a 20-strong gang in Manchester city centre when another hooligan came running towards him. hell-bent on booting him to the floor again.

As he and another man homed in on the dazed policeman, Bardsley said he pushed the thug out of the way before going to the officer's assistance.

Bardsley, who served in the 26 Engineer Regiment at Bulworth Garrison but is now a trainee manager with a pizza chain, said: "I saw the man running towards him aiming to give him a kick and I gave him a hard nudge and clobbered him.

"I then grabbed the policeman by his collar and dragged him away and threw him into a police van. As I pulled him away I told him that I was a British Army medic to reassure him."

Tom Bardsley with his mother Karen

Bardsley said he had served in a number of war zones and had been given full riot training, but he had witnessed nothing like the scenes that greeted him in Manchester.

"I would describe it as wolves who had not been fed for days. I did not think of any danger to me, just the safety of others and making sure everyone was getting out okay," he said.

"I knew that if no one was going to get him (the officer], he wasn't going to make it. I thought, 'Sod it.' I did not care that bottles and bricks were being thrown at me. The adrenaline just kicked in."

The heroics of the father-of-one, from Openshaw, Greater Manchester, did not end there, as he stepped in to perform a host of good deeds.

Shortly after the dramatic escape from the mob, he assisted a water rescue team in saving a Rangers fan who had fallen into the canal, helping to tie a rope around a post.

Later, he said he noticed the arm of an unconscious man poking out from the mass of rubbish left across the city. He threw the casualty over his shoulder and sprinted 150 metres to a nearby ambulance to seek medical help.

Finally, he came across a police riot van being looted by two supporters who were helping themselves to equipment, including high-visibility jackets and helmets. He chased them away then slammed shut the open back doors.

He did not think anything of his actions until he received a phone call from the police the next day, who told him the CCTV coverage of PC Regan had been shown extensively on television news bulletins.

Bardsley went to Longsight Police Station, where Regan was based, to check on his condition and was thanked by a police superintendent.

"My ambition is to work in either the ambulance service or the police force. The superintendent told me if I have ever applied in his area he would give me a job straight away," he said.

The CCTV images, released by police, show Bardsley intercept the fan running towards Regan. Then the pair go out of shot as they flee to safety. Bardsley dragged Regan along the street and around the corner where he threw him into a police van.

PC Mick Regan

Yesterday, Regan said his rescuer deserved a medal and that he would buy him a few beers if they met.

He said: "When I got up and ran off, I saw two lads coming towards me. I thought, 'If they stop me, I'm in trouble', because I was winded.

"One tried to kick me. One of them shouted at me saying, 'I'm British Army, I'm a medic.' He grabbed me by the collar and he propelled me up the street.

"Then one of our vans came round the corner, he threw me in the back of it and off he went. Thank God."

The violent scenes marred Wednesday night's Uefa Cup final between the Glasgow team and Zenit St Petersburg.

Violence broke out among the 100,000 Rangers fans who descended upon Manchester when a big screen due to broadcast the game to 20,000 fans in Piccadilly Gardens failed shortly before kick-off.

Fans hurled cans, bottles and rubbish at Regan and his colleagues in Newton Street at about 10.15pm.

Bardsley is now looking forward to meeting up in person with Regan.

He only received minor injuries, despite being hit by bottles several times – including one which cut him on the right side of his face after smashing against Regan's body armour.

He revealed how he popped into an internet café just minutes before the riot started to email a friend.

Following his two-hour spell of bravery he even returned to the cafe to resume his MSN conversation and was amazed to see YouTube footage of the fighting already posted on the internet.

Proud mother, Karen, 44, of Malvern Road, Chester, said she was not "surprised" at her son's reactions to the chaos that ensued.

"There should be more Toms in this world. This is nothing unusual for him." she said.

Most of Bardsley's family, including his mother, father Keith, 44, and sister Jennifer, 21, have worked as volunteers with the St John's Ambulance Service for several years.

Bardsley added: "I was a little bit scared, but if I was going to get caught I was not going to go down without a fight.

"It was a very dangerous situation and I am not surprised that the police were withdrawing.

"The next day the city centre looked like a scene from Basra – like a bomb had hit it. I was angry that the Rangers fans had done this."

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