EFL must do something, says McKirdy

free hit and a free pop and no one player can react to it. If you did that on the street you’d end up in a tear up. To lose like that was really cruel. But I’m so proud of all my players, and the class that they have shown, as they have done all season.”

Swindon striker Harry McKirdy called for the League to take action in a post on Instagram.

The former Port Vale front man said: “I’ll take the stick and the songs, but bottles, coins, lighters (being) thrown at me and running on and hitting and kicking me and my team-mates is too far. Something has to be done EFL.”

As for the game itself, former Manchester United striker James Wilson cancelled out Swindon’s 2-1 lead from the County Ground with an eighth-minute strike, which Garner claimed was offside, and by then Swindon had already been denied a penalty when Mandela Egbo’s cross looked to have struck the hand of Vale defender Malvind Benning.

“I thought we had a penalty for handball and they go up the other end and score and, for me, their goal is offside,” reflected Garner.

“That goal has decided the game, which is a terrible shame, but I’m so proud of every single person in that dressing room, from where we started the season to where we’ve got to.

“I don’t think we played well enough in the first half, we didn’t have enough intensity and didn’t move the ball well enough.

“We did it better in the second half, but on the balance of the game I thought a draw would have probably been fair. There was not a lot in the game.

“But it’s just disappointing for that group of players after everything they’ve given.”

Swindon looked to hold a key advantage in the shoot-out when Vale, going first, failed to convert their second and third spot-kicks as Lewis Ward saved from David Worrall and Ryan Edmondson.

Jack Payne and Ben Gladwin had put the Robins 2-1 up at this point with a penalty in hand, but McKirdy blazed his effort over.

The next three spot-kicks were converted, which left Swindon needing Josh Davison to score in order for them to progress to the final, but goalkeeper Aidan Stone saved it diving to his left.

Following four more successful efforts, Mal Benning scored for Vale to make it 6-5 before the unfortunate Iandolo lifted his penalty way over the crossbar, pictured above, to leave Swindon in the fourth tier again next term.