OLDHAM Athletic lost their 115-year Football League status amid a pitch invasion and behind closed doors finale, yet there was no word from the club more than 24 hours after the curtain came down.

The only communication as to their fate, following Saturday's 2-1 defeat to play-off chasing Salford City, was an update on the club's official social media accounts to confirm the outcome.

It read: "The final 11 minutes of the @SkyBetLeagueTwo fixture with @SalfordCityFC was played to a conclusion later this afternoon behind closed doors, with the game finishing in a 2-1 defeat.

"Results this afternoon now mean we will be in the National League from next season."

Controversial owner Abdallah Lemsagam was not in the country to see the latest instalment in this once proud club’s sad demise, while the seat of his sporting director brother, Mo, was also vacant, as it has been for much of the season in the Boundary Park directors' box.

That left the Latics supporters who led an on-pitch protest against the ownership shouting “Abdallah out” chants into a void.

But while there has been radio silence from the hierarchy, if the football world had not been alerted to the plight of long-suffering fans of this 126-year-old club, they surely have now.

The protest was not planned. Supporters groups had encouraged all fans to get behind the players and head coach John Sheridan while there was still a chance of survival, albeit a slim one being four points adrift of Barrow and Stevenage with three games to go before Saturday’s visit of play-off chasing Salford City.

But with their relegation rivals both ahead in their respective home games, and Latics trailing 2-1 with 11 minutes plus stoppage time to go, fans could not contain their frustrations and anger any longer and hundreds ran onto the pitch, gathering in the centre circle, with some staging a sit-in.

The players were ushered back to the dressing rooms by referee Robert Madley. But with no sign of the crowd dispersing Sheridan emerged from the tunnel to address the fans himself to try to encourage fans to leave the pitch so the game could resume without much more of a delay.

"I know you're disappointed," he said.

A fan replied: "We're down man!", to which Sheridan responded: "No we're not. There's one last hope, we've got 12-15 minutes."

With results as they were, Latics were relegated courtesy of a seven-point gap to safety with only six to play for after Saturday.

A draw, or better still a win, would have taken their fight on for a few days at least, with both Barrow and Stevenage each playing their game in hand tomorrow night.

But once play was able to resume almost two hours after it had been brought to a halt, there was no change to the scoreline, and no change to Latics' circumstances.

Both sets of the players had been forced to wait it out in the dressing rooms until all of the supporters had vacated the pitch.

It took a large police presence to persuade the majority to leave the field, and the stadium, while a set of sprinklers going off dispersed the last two dozen or so.

However, the chaos did not end there as doors with a view of the pitch in the North Stand were boarded up, including at least one fire exit, to prevent fans who had gone to the bar in the OEC from watching the remaining few minutes of the game.

It is understood this action was not a directive from the Football League, but at the time of going to press club officials were unavailable for comment.

It is not yet clear whether Latics will face punishment from the Football Association for failure to control their fans, or whether fans will be allowed in for the last game of the season, and last game in the Football League, on May 7, at home to Crawley.