A journalist was attacked with an iron bar by masked football hooligans while covering a match abroad for a regional daily.

Sean Wallace, left, senior sports journalist with the Aberdeen Evening Express, escaped with minor injuries after also being hit on the thigh by a flare during the assault at a bar in Mostar, Bosnia.

The hooligans from local club Zrinjski Mostar attacked the Black Dog Bar in the city’s old town district , where Aberdeen FC supporters were drinking the night before their team’s UEFA Europa League qualifying match against another Bosnian side called Siroki Brijag.

They threw flares at the travelling Scottish fans before attacking with baseball bats and metal bars.

A report on the Evening Express stated Sean was “hit on the head with a metal bar and on the thigh by a flare”.

After the incident, he posted on Twitter: “Sore head after being bottled by masked Bosnian hooligans in Mostar. Also cuts to legs after being hit by flare in Mostar. Sore but ok.”

Andy Skinner, Sean’s colleague on the EE’s sister daily the Press & Journal was also in the bar on Wednesday night, when the attack took place.

Andy had decided to fly out to Bosnia to attend the game while on annual leave from the newspaper.

He told the P&J: “I was out at that pub all day. There were probably about 50 fans who’ve mostly been here as well. It was getting on for 11.30pm when out of absolutely nowhere we just saw these flares. They started launching them towards the pub.

“The owner of the pub was outside as well. There is a bridge nearby and a lot of supporters just ran over that while the rest of us went into the pub and tried to get as far back as we could. The owner managed to get back in and was able to lock the door. I didn’t see but from what I’d told they had baseball bats. They were masked, all of them.

“A couple of supporters had what looked like pretty serious head injuries. They were covered in blood. It’s certainly put a dampener on what had so far been a really good trip. I’ve never come across anything like this before. It was frightening.”

Aberdeen won the match 3-1 on aggregate after the second leg on Thursday night.