December saw the curtain finally fall on a dramatic chain of events that began more than 18 months earlier at Wellington Oval.

What started as an innocent celebration of football at St. George's, ended with the worst outbreak of violence at a sporting stadium on the Island in living memory.

Many believe April 4, 2004 was local football's nadir.

Gangs of youths armed with machetes, knives, swords and planks of wood launched sickening attacks. Terror swept the stadium, bringing a premature end to the keenly anticipated Friendship Trophy clash between North Village and Somerset Eagles.

The harrowing display of public trouble in full view of one thousand fans lasted a matter of minutes.

But it took many months for the some of the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

And in December, ten-year jail terms were handed down to three men convicted of trying to murder a man when the violence erupted.

Ki-Roy Kinta Butterfield, Jahcai Morris and Tahir Nesta Bascome had all intended to kill Tarik Foster, a court heard, but they were lucky two "heroes" stepped in and saved their friend's life.

Spared the maximum sentence of 20 years for attempted murder, the defendants appeared pleased after their fates were confirmed and were loudly cheered as they left the Supreme Court in a Westgate-bound prison van.

The court heard the damage that one afternoon of Friendship Trophy finals caused to the community was "immeasurable".

And it proved the catalyst for a major law change, an automatic three-year jail sentence for possession of a bladed weapon.