Scenes of jubilation turned to horror when Maidstone United fans were seriously hurt while celebrating their FA Cup win at the weekend.

It has emerged that supporters suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung and a leg fracture moments after the final whistle.

The trouble started when people clambered over barriers from the Genco stand at the Gallagher Stadium to mark the 1-0 victory over Stevenage, which set up a fourth-round tie against Ipswich.

Chris Watts told KentOnline how his brother spent the night in hospital after suffering seven broken ribs from being crushed in the pitch invasion.

He said: “It was a big shift of people and at the end of the day people got hurt.

“He’s not allowed back to normal duties for six to eight weeks; I don’t know how he is going to support his family.”

Ambulance confirmed at least two major injuries were recorded.

A spokesman said: “Crews attended after receiving reports of an injured person at approximately 2.40pm on Saturday.

“One patient with a chest injury and one patient with an ankle injury were assessed and treated before being taken to hospital.

“A further patient was due to make their way to hospital for further checks.”

Chief executive and director of football, Bill Williams, has addressed the injuries in his programme notes for tonight’s game versus Dartford.

He said: “Let me finish by acknowledging what happened at the full-time whistle. In that wave of emotion, which was felt by each and every one of us, supporters made their way from the stand and onto the pitch.

“While that’s something we wouldn’t ordinarily condone, it was understandable on this occasion. That move onto the pitch resulted in three supporters needing medical attention, two of whom were taken to hospital.

“At the time of writing, I have spoken to two of the three. We are of course investigating and my email is open for anyone who has any information to share.”

Co-owner Oliver Ash also spoke about the injuries during an interview with KMTV.

He said: “We had 4,000 in the ground at the Stevenage game and we did have a pitch invasion at the end which is unfortunate because it takes away from the fun for all the people around the stadium, seeing the team on the pitch on their own.

“We understand the enthusiasm of the crowd and unfortunately there were one or two injuries as a result.”