Swindon/Bristol Rovers Statement

Swindon Town F.C and Bristol Rovers F.C have released a joint statement warning fans, 'if you cause trouble, you will be arrested.'Away Allocation Sold Out

Swindon Town have sold their away allocation for this weekend's game at Bristol Rovers, as the Police advise both sets of fans ahead of the game.

Having sold the initial batch of 1,230 tickets, the club were then handed an extra 750 terrace tickets - the last of which were sold on Wednesday afternoon.

Town will now be backed by 1,980 away supporters on the day with fans of both sides being asked to stay off the playing surface at the end of the game.

Police Warning

Fans of Bristol Rovers and Swindon Town are being asked to stay off the pitch at the end of Saturday's West Country derby - whatever the outcome.

The League Two clash at the Memorial Stadium could see the home side climb into the play-off positions, or the Robins clinch promotion to League One or both scenarios could unfold if results go according to plan elsewhere.

Swindon will be bringing an army of around 2,000 fans that will occupy the XXXX Stand and the away terracing along the Centenary Stand side of the pitch.

Rovers have already sold out of all seats for the all-ticket fixture, with terracing places fast being snapped up.

Once again the club would like to stress that there will be no admission to any supporter without a ticket on the day of the game.

The match will be staffed with a significantly bolstered police presence, and extra stewards have been drafted in to ensure an incident free afternoon.

After the full-time whistle, both sets of players will leave the field of play and announcements will be made over the PA system that supporters must stay off the pitch.

If there is no encroachment onto the playing area, the Rovers players and management will then shortly return to complete a 'lap of honour' as a 'thank you' for all the backing they've received throughout the 2006/07 campaign.

Unfortunately, if there is any hint of a pitch invasion, the players will not be able to come out again, and fans will have to endure a repeat of the situation after the win over Bristol City, with no opportunity to applaud or thank the players for their efforts.



Police are currently in the process of making arrests following that match back at the end of February, and in an attempt to curb what is an illegal act, instructions have been given to make on-the-spot arrests this weekend to anyone apprehended entering the playing area.

Listen Out

Visiting supporters are advised to listen out for announcements over the PA system, and discussions will take place over the possibility of the away team returning to the pitch, depending on what happens across League Two on the afternoon.

Evidence gathers will be out in force, with the club putting a lot of resource and manpower into ensuring the game goes off peacefully, and that ugly scenes from previous end-of-season matches are avoided.

The Football Association has also confirmed that it will be sending representatives to the match to assess crowd control and behaviour.

'Saturday's game is an important one for both clubs, and naturally we expect both sets of fans to be looking forward to the match,' the club's safety officer Dave Harper explained to bristolrovers.co.uk.

'But it is imperative that after what happened at the end of the Bristol City game, and the final home game last season, we don't have a repeat of the scenes after the final whistle has blown.

'Because of the actions of a mindless few, the remaining thousands of Gasheads that saw the City win were unable to applaud the team for their victory, and we don't want to have to deprive the well behaved majority the opportunity to pay tribute to the players for the second time this season.

'There is a lot riding on the match, and emotions will undoubtedly run high. But the club, the stewards and the police will be on high alert to prevent that kind of acts we have seen before, and if anyone enters the playing area after the final whistle, they do so in the knowledge that every effort will be made to arrest them.'

This weekend the turnstiles open at 1:30pm, and the match gets underway at 3:00pm.

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