Police made 16 arrests for public order offences after trouble flared in Rhyl town centre before Rhyl Football Club's InterToto Cup match with Dublin-based side Bohemians on Saturday.
A group of 20 to 30 men, who police say are known troublemakers, drank in the town before charging through the town centre at about 2.15pm near the busy White Rose Centre area of the High Street.
A young woman shopper in the centre, who did not want to be named, was with her sister and two young children as police chased the men believed to be involved in the trouble.
She said: "It was one of the scariest things I have ever seen. The kids were shaking and an old lady was crying with fear. There were about 30 men who suddenly came running into the White Rose Centre being chased by a large number of riot police. There was a lot of shouting going on and our priority was to make sure the kids were safe."
The eyewitness saw many of the men being arrested behind the White Rose Centre near Rhyl Library, Museum and Arts Centre.
A spokesman for Rhyl FC said the match at Belle Vue, which attracted more than 500 away fans, had been a success and a good relationship had been built up between the clubs that would be unaffected by the trouble.
He said: "The match was completely incident free. The two sets of fans mixed quite happily after the trip to Dublin the week before when we were made very welcome. The fans were even chanting for each other and we are looking at arranging a friendly with Bohemians next year."
In a decision made before the trouble erupted, pubs in Rhyl were asked by police to consider closing between 5pm and 6pm to help with the matchday operation.
Chief Inspector Rob Kirman said: "The policing operation of the Rhyl game was based on timely and relevant intelligence."
Mr Kirman said the men who charged through the town did not have tickets and "had no intention of attending the match".
Of the 16 people arrested, seven were released without charge, five cautioned under Section 5 of the Public Order Act and four were released on bail pending further inquiries.
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