Oldham Athletic will ban fans who invaded the pitch during relegation match

Fans who invaded the pitch during Oldham Athletic's Football League relegation match against Salford face being banned by the club.

The home side lost 2-1 - signalling the end of 115 years of professional football and earning the Latics the unhappy label of becoming the first former Premier League side to drop out of the Football League.

In the 79th minute, with their side facing the drop, a large number of Oldham fans stormed onto the pitch, forcing the match to be suspended.

Both sets of players were escorted off the field by referee Bobby Madley with stadium announcements initially saying the match had been abandoned, though it later resumed before empty terraces.

A club statement on Tuesday 26 April said: "Oldham Athletic is carrying out an investigation on the pitch invasion that occurred in the last home fixture against Salford City.

"The club will again liaise with Greater Manchester Police and efforts are being made to identify those who encroached onto the pitch, which is a serious criminal offence.

"Several persons have already been identified and it is almost certain when appropriate club bans will be issued."

Oldham, who had issues with pitch invasions earlier in the season, are expected to face severe punishment from the Football Association and the EFL.

Before the pitch invasion, furious fans chanted "We want our club back" and "We're not going anywhere" as stewards struggled to maintain order.

The 2-1 defeat was a fourth straight loss for Oldham. Owner Abdallah Lemsagam has been seeking to sell the club and on Monday, the Oldham board issued a statement taking responsibility for the "total failure" of relegation.

"The Oldham Athletic board of directors is devastated at the club's relegation," the statement said.

"The issues that have led to this point go back years but the buck stops with the board and relegation represents a total failure."