A 21-year-old man was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of assaulting Sheffield Wednesday's former England international goalkeeper Chris Kirkland on the pitch at Hillsborough on Friday.

Kirkland was pushed in the face and sent crashing to the ground during the televised game between Wednesday and Yorkshire rivals Leeds United in the Championship (second tier) in Sheffield.

Gloucestershire Police said on Sunday a man from Cheltenham had been arrested in connection with the incident shortly before 1200 GMT. "The investigation is being led by South Yorkshire Police. The man currently remains in police custody," a spokesman for Gloucester Police said in a media statement.

The attack followed a pitch invasion by Leeds supporters when Kirkland conceded a 77th-minute equaliser in the game which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Kirkland said he was stunned by the attack, telling media: "I felt the full force and I was just shocked because you never know what could have been in his hands."

The English FA said on Saturday it was investigating the incident.

Wednesday manager Dave Jones, his Leeds counterpart Neil Warnock and Kirkland have all called for tough punishments, including stadium bans and jail terms, to be handed out by the authorities.

Leeds issued a statement on their website (www.leedsunited.com) condemning the supporter involved in the incident.

"Leeds United Football Club would like to publicly apologise for and condemn the actions of the fan who came on to the pitch at Hillsborough and attacked Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland," Leeds said.