Huddersfield Town fans will not get any immediate compensation over the abandoned game at Blackpool.
But a senior football figure has come down on their side and insisted they had a case.
And the Independent Football Ombudsman Prof Derek Fraser has urged that Town fans should be given free tickets the next time the club has to play at Blackpool.
He has also left the way clear for fans to take action against Blackpool through the Small Claims Court.
Read more: Football ombudsman set to rule on Huddersfield Town compensation 'within days'
The inquiry follows incidents last May in the final Championship game of last season, when up to 200 Blackpool supporters invaded the pitch just after half-time forcing the game to be called off, leaving Town fans out of pocket.
Town fans launched a battle for compensation over the abandonment of the game.
The Football Association hit the Seasiders with a £50,000 fine for failing to control their fans while a Football League Football Disciplinary Commission (FDC) ordered a three-point deduction, suspended for two seasons.
The commission rejected a claim from Town for £50,000 to compensate the 2,283 away fans who had a wasted trip to the coast.
Many fans complained to the Independent Football Ombudsman and now, after a complex inquiry, he has issued his findings.
A key part reads: “Having reviewed all the supporting evidence and the relevant regulations, the IFO believes that the supporters had a sound case and the IFO is surprised that a compensation order was not made by the Commission.
“Indeed, had the procedure been different and the IFO had been the designated tribunal for determining the outcome, then the IFO is confident that it would have found in the supporters’ favour.”
Prof Fraser said it would be interesting to speculate whether the Commission would have been so reluctant to issue a compensation order had the League hearing preceded the FA’s – if a judgment had been issued before rather than after the £50,000 fine.
Read more: Blackpool FC fans in court after pitch invasion which saw Huddersfield Town game abandoned
He added: “The IFO considers that the administrative difficulties in operating a compensation scheme were over stated, given that Huddersfield FC had offered to implement the scheme and had the data on who had purchased tickets.
“One cannot escape the conclusion than an opportunity was missed to recognise the legitimate interests of supporters as against the financial well-being of the Club. The IFO has no power to reverse the decision or even to require the case to be re-examined. It can only make a recommendation which acknowledges a kind of moral victory for the complainants, though with no immediate practical outcome.
“The IFO recommends that the next time Blackpool hosts Huddersfield Town in a Football League fixture, it offers complimentary tickets to all travelling Huddersfield supporters.”
