Swindon players clash with Port Vale fans as ugly scenes mar play-offs yet again

For the fourth night in a row, the EFL play-offs were marred by ugly scenes following a pitch invasion.

Port Vale beat Swindon Town on penalties after their League Two play-off semi-final tie had finished 2-2 on aggregate. Perhaps predictably, the victory was toasted with a full-scale pitch invasion, but like other semi-final games earlier this week, it was not without controversy.

Swindon's Harry McKirdy has claimed he was pelted with coins and bottles in the immediate aftermath, with home fans rushing on to the pitch as soon as the Robins' final unsuccessful spot-kick had sailed over the bar.

Sky Sports cameras appeared to pick up footage of the incident, with a group of Swindon players appearing to surround McKirdy as soon as the fans entered the field.

The unsavoury scenes came on the same day that a Nottingham Forest fan was jailed for 24 weeks after pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm on Sheffield United's Billy Sharp. The supporter carried out an unprovoked assault on Blades skipper Sharp after a pitch invasion in their Championship play-off semi-final on Tuesday.

McKirdy, who joined Swindon from Vale last summer, wrote on Instagram : "I'll take the stick & the songs. But bottles, coins, lighters thrown @ me, running on & hitting & kicking me/team-mates. Too far. Something's got to happen @efl."

His manager, Ben Garner, was also heavily critical of the treatment of his players by some supporters, saying: "My players have been physically and verbally abused after the game, it’s absolutely disgusting.

What can be done to stamp out violence and disorder at full-time? Have your say in the comments...

"It’s disappointing what they’ve had to put up with coming off that pitch. I've seen in