Falkirk left embarrassed by disorder after The New Saints defeat as club vow to issue 'most severe sanctions' to perpetrators

Trouble flared after the match, which finished 1-0 to the Welsh visitors, with footage of the flashpoint being shared widely on social media with the Bairns’ hierarchy saying they were “extremely disappointed and embarrassed” by the disorder caused.

Witnesses say metal barriers used for crowd control and wheelie bins were lobbed over from outside into the away end at the Falkirk Stadium, while a sizable group of away supporters were held back for a period of time after the match before being escorted away from the ground.

"The behaviour was reckless, caused great distress and could have resulted in serious injury,” a Bairns’ spokesperson said. “On behalf of Falkirk Football Club and its supporters we have apologised to The New Saints and their supporters for the inevitable distress caused.

“This type of occurrence is previously unknown at our stadium and will not be tolerated. As such we are working the police, our security partners, our supporters’ groups, and supporters’ groups of other clubs to identify and hold to account those who planned and perpetrated these events.

“Anyone identified will be made known to police and will receive the most severe sanctions from the club. If anyone has any information which could be useful, we encourage you to contact the club in confidence to help us with the investigations.

"We wish to sincerely thank our stewards and Police Scotland for their selfless action to protect innocent parties and wish those hurt doing so a swift recovery.

“Finally we wish to thank the vast majority of Falkirk supporters who attended the game on Saturday, once again in great numbers, for your fantastic backing and the positive atmosphere which you created.”

A spokesperson for The New Saints added: “We are naturally disappointed that the semi-final was marred by issues after the game.

“The safety of fans is paramount, and we are working closely with Falkirk FC to identify the perpetrators and take the appropriate action to ensure these few individuals are dealt with and this anti-social behaviour is stamped out of the game.”

Meanwhile, Police Scotland confirmed that no arrests were made, confirming that “large group causing disorder were dispersed following police arrival” around 9.40pm.