Club condemns pitch invaders after semi-final loss

Rochdale suffered a 5-4 penalty defeat at the hands of Spennymoor Town

Rochdale Football Club have condemned a pitch invasion by fans after a shock-loss on penalties to a lower division side that denied the home team a trip to Wembley.

The National League club lost a shootout 5-4 in their FA Trophy semi-final clash at the Crown Oil Arena with National League North's Spennymoor Town on Saturday.

A spokesman for Rochdale AFC said police were investigating "unacceptable behaviour" at the match after both sets of supporters swarmed the pitch at the final whistle.

He said the actions of a "small minority" risked damaging Dale's reputation as a "family-friendly, welcoming club".

Footage and images shared from the non-league clash showed fans flooding the ground after full-time, along with several incidents of disorder outside the ground.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is working to identify the individuals involved who will be subject to the appropriate sanctions, including banning orders, if found guilty, the Rochdale spokesman said.

He added: "The club, along with the vast majority of its supporters, will not accept such behaviour at its matches and adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards those matters."

In a statement, Rochdale Supporters Trust said it had received several complaints after the match from "disgruntled" fans about issues to do with turnstiles, staffing and seats and tickets at the Crown Oil Arena.

The group said it had written to the club to address the problems to "hopefully enable us to finish the season on a more positive note".

The BBC has contacted Rochdale AFC for a response on those claims.

GMP and Spennymoor Town Football Club have also been contacted for comment.