BRISTOL ROVERS won 7-0 to overtake Northampton and secure automatic promotion on GOALS SCORED in the most dramatic fashion.
And they finally sealed their place in League One after the referee suspended the game for 17 minutes following a premature crazy fan pitch invasion.
Bristol Rovers produced a stunning performance to win 7-0 and get promoted Credit: Getty
Rovers supporters ran on to the pitch before the referee suspended the match Credit: EFL Rovers knew they had to better Northampton’s result by five goals if they both won on the final day of League Two to finish in the top three – where they had not been all season.
And with the Cobblers 3-1 up at Barrow, that meant Joey Barton’s side needed SEVEN at home to already-relegated Scunthorpe.
They led 4-0 after an hour but then a flurry of three goals in six minutes saw them extend their advantage to 7-0 on 85 minutes in bonkers scenes.
That saw Rovers go ahead of Northampton on goals scored with identical points tallies and goal differences.
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Horror Reading keeper howler gifts Luton play-off place as thumped Boro miss out And it led to a dramatic pitch invasion at the Memorial Stadium as Gas fans celebrated wildly, spilling on to the pitch.
The referee Charles Breakspear was forced to stop the game and take the players off the field of play to wait for the supporters to clear.
In the meantime, at Barrow, Northampton – who led 3-0 after 22 minutes – knew one more goal to restore their three-goal lead would put them back in third.
But instead they had their goalkeeper sent off in injury time with striker Danny Rose taking the gloves for the final few moments in another bizarre twist.
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That game finished 3-1 and Rovers knew they simply had to avoid conceding when their match finally got underway.
Barton pleaded on the microphone to ask supporters to stay off until the full-time whistle blew.
And ref Breakspear even indicated that if anyone comes on to the pitch once it had restarted, then he would ABANDON the game.
Finally, after 17 minutes, the match in the West Country got back underway – with the clock ticking all the way to 114 minutes.
Northampton’s players sat on the pitch refreshing their phones desperate to hear of a Scunthorpe goal at the Memorial.
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Ronaldo & Georgina reveal name for baby girl as they post heartwarming pics But it did not come and it was Barton’s side rejoicing as they confirmed their place in League One for next season.
For the Cobblers, though, they will need to regroup and get themselves back up for the play-offs, where they face Mansfield in the semi-finals.
Joey Barton was the man tasked with trying to calm down the Memorial Stadium to get the game back on Credit: PA
Fans finally got the chance to celebrate going up to League One Credit: PA
Northampton striker Danny Rose took the goalkeeper gloves but was left dejected despite the 3-1 win Credit: Getty Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
