Port Vale fined £25,000 for fan pitch invasion

The incident happened in the home defeat by Portsmouth on 27 January

Port Vale have been fined £25,000 for "misconduct in relation to crowd control" during their League One home defeat by Portsmouth.

A fan ran across the pitch to get to referee Craig Hicks, who had to briefly halt the game on Saturday, 27 January, and leave the field to avoid him.

Mr Hicks had just given Pompey a late, as it turned out, match-winning penalty, scored by Colby Bishop.

Vale ended up being relegated back to League Two at the end of the season.

A Football Association statement said: "Port Vale admitted that they failed to ensure their spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters or followers) conduct themselves in an orderly fashion; don’t behave in an improper, threatening or provocative way; or commit any form of pitch incursion."

The fine was imposed by an independent regulatory commission.

The Vale supporter, Ted Piolunowicz, 63, of Newshaw Walk, Stoke-on-Trent, was handed a five-year football banning order at North Staffordshire Magistrates Court last week having admitted "entering the playing area at a football match".

He had previously denied the charge and one of using threatening behaviour with intent to cause fear or violence, which was dropped.

Vale were also fined £15,000 for crowd order offences following a mass pitch invasion after their League Two play-off semi-final win over Swindon Town two seasons ago.