COWDEN boss Gary Bollan has been hit with a one-match touchline ban following the mayhem that marred their League Two play-off victory.

A disciplinary hearing at Hampden was held on Thursday in relation to ugly scenes towards the end of the Blue Brazil's dramatic 3-2 win over Highland League Cove Rangers last month, and also resulted in the club being hit with a £1,000 fine.

The second leg of the tie with the Highland League champions erupted when the visitors were left incensed that Brad Smith's winner was allowed to stand, after what they felt was a foul by Jordyn Sheerin on goalkeeper Stuart McKenzie.

With time running out, a poor challenge by Cove's Harry Milne, directly in front of the home dugout, sparked a melee involving many of the players and coaching staff on both sides.

Three Cove players – Paul Watson, Scott Ross and Paul McManus – were sent off in the aftermath, while Bollan, his number two Ian Flaherty and opposing manager John Sheran were also given their marching orders.

Disciplinary proceedings were opened against both clubs, their managers and Flaherty, with Bollan handed an immediate one-game suspension for being found in breach of rule 203, which states that "no member of team staff shall commit misconduct at a match".

Flaherty was found guilty of the same charge and was given an immediate suspension of two matches, while the club were also ordered to cough up £1,000 after being found to be in breach of rule number 204, which relates to incidents where "three or more players and/or members of team staff from one team are involved in a confrontation with opposing players and/or members of team staff of the opposing team during and/or directly after a match".

The fine is a 'mid-range' sanction doled out by the SFA panel, where Championship, League One and League Two clubs guilty of that offence can face a maximum penalty of £5,000.

Cove, meanwhile, have been fined £500 – the 'mid-range' fine that can be imposed for clubs outwith the SPFL – for their part in the ugly scenes, while their manager, John Sheran, was given a dugout ban for two fixtures – with another suspended until the end of the season – for his actions and subsequent post-match comments.

He said he felt "cheated" by the officials, and raged: "We have four officials who are great at telling you to sit down in your box, but they can't even spot a rugby tackle in the middle of the pitch. I think they should all hang their heads in shame.

"We are absolutely gutted and I am choosing my words carefully here, we feel cheated by the performance of the officials today."

Bollan said at that the time: "I've no idea what happened at the end. I got sent off, John Sheran and Ian Flaherty my coach were also sent off and various others, but for what I don't know, I was in my technical area, the Cove manager wasn't but I’ve no idea why I was sent to the stand.

"It did boil over a wee bit, but there was nobody got hurt or anything like that so you’ve just got to get on with it."

The two clubs will meet again on July 21 in Cowden's penultimate Betfred Cup Group C fixture.