Walsall v Chesterfield ended on a sour note, players and stewards were confronted with the pitch invasion loudly booed by fans watching on.
In the League Two play-off semi-final second leg saw the Saddlers defeat Chesterfield 2-1 (4-1 on aggregate), securing their place in the playoff final.
The match ended chaotically when Walsall fans invaded the pitch. Charlie Lakin put Walsall ahead on 8 minutes, Armando Dobra levelled on the 94th minute, but then Levi Amantchi then put the hosts back in front a minute later.
Flares were set off, and there were reports of confrontations between invading fans and Chesterfield players, who were initially taken off the pitch for safety.
Stewards lined the perimeter, but concerns about player safety were raised, with Chesterfield’s manager Paul Cook visibly hesitant to resume play for the final seconds.
Many fans in the stands booed the invaders, and some Walsall supporters condemned the actions. The EFL and police are expected to investigate the incident, with potential fines or sanctions for Walsall, as pitch invasions are considered a criminal offence.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former referee Keith Hackett said:
“Clearly, the EFL will hold an investigation regarding the pitch invasion and the action taken by the referee, which, in the circumstances, is entirely correct.
“It is an offence for a spectator to run onto the field of play, so video footage from television and any other cameras will be used by the police to determine what course of action they should take.
“One also must ask the question, ‘Where are the police and stewards, and did they have sufficient numbers?’ The game needed to be brought to a conclusion, and the full amount of playing time needed to be played.”
The Camera work isn’t the best but I hope it just gives an Idea as to what the Chesterfield players went through at the end. No player should have to physically defend themselves against a fan attack. https://t.co/gJXPX133vA pic.twitter.com/D3rLRAnNqq
— Gameday523 (@Gameday523) May 16, 2025
Senseless pitch invasion by the Walsall fans after the Sadlers took a 2-1 lead v Chesterfield.
To be fair, the Walsall fans near us condemned it.
Game to be restarted. #chesterfieldfc | @footballheaven pic.twitter.com/Anq6pPFvCM
— Andy Giddings (@SportGids1) May 16, 2025
Nathan Lowe, who remains Walsall’s leading scorer but returned to his parent club Stoke in January – said to Sky Sports:
“They deserve it – every single one of them worked so hard.
“They’ve been through so much they just deserve this.”
Walsall’s Harry Williams on turning their form around:
“It feels amazing, honestly.
“From three months ago when we went through this tricky patch, to get to where we are now has been brilliant.
“When you look at this now, it is a memory to cherish forever.
“We know we where so far ahead and we went through a tricky patch but the belief in the team has never dipped, we are together as a group and we always believe we can get back to where we wanted to be.
“We have put two great games in against Chesterfield, and hopefully we can go one step further”
Charlie Lakin speaking to Sky Sports:
“So late in the game to get that goal you just felt the relief.
“It’s been a difficult two or three months but we’ve shown what we’re about in the two games.
“It’s a dream come true to play at Wembley so bring it on – we’ve got to take it in our stride – it’s not often you get to play at Wembley.”
Boss Mat Sadler:
“The substitutes added that extra bit of energy you need at the end but before that we played very, very well.
“We’ve got an unbelievable group of players and a real togetherness about the place – we’ve worked so hard to hold onto that togetherness.
“We want to enjoy the night – the lads need to relax now, take a couple of days off but come back on Monday firing.
“I’m a big believer in celebrating moments like this because they don’t come around all the time but we know there’s a job to be done.”
Chesterfield boss Paul Cook:
“I’m devastated, absolutely devastated.
“I think the biggest thing of the night is that it is Walsall’s night and you have got to respect that.
“The play-offs have been amazing entertainment and value and no different to tonight’s game where both teams were so committed.
“We have done our best and when you come into a ground and you do your best, you can’t ask for anything more.
“We wish Walsall and Mat Sadler and his players the best of luck going to Wembley.”
Twitter users reacted after Walsall v Chesterfield sees players and stewards confronted with the pitch invasion loudly booed…
@lukecfc5: Shocking stewarding, stewards walking around whilst Cook and the rest of the staff have to go onto the pitch to make sure his players get back to the touchline.
@Bodie0402: Pitch invasions are crap. Just absolute moment killers, and most of the players hate it.
@ChrisCoopsSport: Absolute idiots. Pitch is for players, stands are for fans. Is it that difficult to understand? No self-control. I wonder whether #Walsall will take the same action as #Burnley did to the fans identified, especially those with flares/smoke bombs. Brains like cauliflower cheese.
@DominicR26: 90% came out of that stand that’s normally half empty or has away fans in so says all you need to know 😂
@robstaton: As usual, a few letting down the majority. Walsall should be celebrating, instead everyone’s stood around waiting for the pitch to clear so another 30 seconds of football can be finished off.
@AndyBluecoops: Some shocking pictures to fans nicking the match balls and man handling stewards to verbal abusing Chesterfield players nit good and with all the notices about not bringing flares or encroaching the pitch with banning orders if so they will hardly be a crowd at home
@macca_160: Can’t be attacking opposing players on pitch invasions
@lukecfc5: Disgraceful. Attacking stewards and town players. A minority letting Walsall down but punishment should be given by the FA for this. Disgusting.
@Spireitegirl: Disgusting attacking our players and that steward. Probably not even proper Walsall fans, just there for the big game 😡
@theo_wilkes: Policing needs to be looked at there seriously. Fans are doing no harm staying in the ground, infact it gives Walsall fans more time to disperse outside the ground preventing any hustle between the two. Horrific decisions made by the majority of them tonight #chesterfieldfc
@WFCOfficial left a lot to be desired tonight. Disabled fan toilets through Walsall fans and no stewards on the barriers to let people through. Police stood in the way for 1st 15 minutes, then police and stewards stood in the way for last 15 minutes. Missed our goal and their 2nd pic.twitter.com/RFnaWFkQfq
— Marcia Bigg (@marciabigg) May 16, 2025
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