A night of high drama ensued as the teams of former Bristol Rovers managers Darrell Clarke and Ben Garner clashed in the League Two play-offs on Thursday.
With the Gas sparing themselves the emotional rollercoaster of the play-offs by sneaking into the top three on the final day of the season, Clarke's Port Vale and Garner's Swindon Town met in the semi-final second leg at Vale Park.
Clarke's Vale would win 6-5 on penalties after James Wilson tapped scored the only goal on the night to level the tie at 2-2 on aggregate, but an incident-filled game was matched by chaotic scenes on the touchline and after the final whistle.
First, Clarke – who recently returned from several weeks on compassionate leave due to a family bereavement – was sent off after tangling with Swindon captain Dion Conroy. Clarke appeared to try to prevent a ball boy from quickly returning the ball to Conroy before tempers flared and the Vale boss dipped his head towards the Town defender.
The Gas legend would later apologise for his part the incident, telling Sky Sports: "I shouldn't have done what I did on the touchline. I apologise to Swindon and Dion. They're a good club, he's a good player. I don't know what came over me. I've had an emotional time. It's the first time I've been sent off."
After Ellis Iandolo missed the target with his deciding penalty, Vale fans stormed the pitch largely in celebration, but a minority targeted the crestfallen Swindon players, continuing a week of ugly scenes in the EFL after Sheffield United's Billy Sharp was assaulted by a Nottingham Forest fan, who has since been jailed, on Tuesday.
Swindon's Mandela Egbo said he had been struck in the face twice by supporters, posting a picture on social media of a cut to his face.
Garner said he was disgusted by the events at full time. He told Sky Sports: "Disappointing for that group of players after everything they have given, but the way they’ve conducted themselves, the way they’ve behaved today, what they’ve had to put up with coming off that pitch.
"Players have been physically and verbally abused. I’ve seen it in some of the other play-off games. I don’t know where we’re going as a country with this, it’s absolutely disgusting.
"It’s frustrating. To play a play-off game and the home team are refusing to water the pitch. That just doesn’t sit well with me.
"We can’t control that, we can only control what we can control and we have to come back stronger next season."
Clarke's side will face Mansfield Town in the play-off final at Wembley on May 28. He added: "As for being proud of the club, the owners, the players, the staff, they've given everything and I thought we fully deserved to go through.
"It's hard to put in words the amount of love I've got from my staff, players and owners. It's hard to say without sounding corny but the support I've had after losing one of the dearest things in my life has been overwhelming.
"We've got one more game to go against Mansfield, which is fitting because it's where my eldest daughter came from. Nigel Clough is a great man. They're a good club, it's the town where I was born. It'll be an emotional day but I'm looking forward to the final."
Garner, meanwhile, was proud of the journey his team has made this season.
"Fantastic, these lads this season," he concluded. "To start where we were with six or seven players, most of those players didn’t have a pre-season and here they are in the play-offs playing 120 minutes and stepping up to take a penalty, so I’m incredibly proud of each and every one of them in there."
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