Tickets for the play-off final against Doncaster Rovers at Wembley finally sold out at around 7pm on Wednesday almost 24 hours after the queue began.

And it was the biggest at the ground since the FA Cup Semi Final in 1987 as 7,000 fans flocked for tickets.

Both clubs were given 36,000 tickets each but while Leeds United's allocation were swiftly snapped up, by yesterday Doncaster had only sold 22,000.

A spokesman for Doncaster Rovers said the Football League and the police had put restrictions on ticket sales to anyone who was not registered with their club. He said: "We are just not allowed to because of segregation."

Over at Elland Road, hundreds condemned Leeds United for its "disgusting and disgraceful" treatment of fans when they were forced to leave empty handed despite waiting all day, being squashed into pens and left waiting for hours without water, with no updates on ticket sales until they had all gone.

Earlier, ugly scenes erupted as furious fans chanted "stop treating us like animals" when they were crammed into fenced-off areas forming part of the queue.

Children were sick, people fainted and others were pulled to safety as hundreds were corralled before being let out in small groups to join the queue at the ticket office.

Many were dehydrated after waiting hours without water near the enclosure where fans were chanting "let us out".

Yesterday's scenes were reminiscent of the mayhem which marred the build-up to United's last play-off final appearance.

Massive queues meant many supporters had to stand in line at Elland Road for several hours to buy tickets for the game against Watford at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in 2006.

A Leeds United club spokesman told the YEP: "The club learnt a lot of lessons from the play off final in 2006 and obviously when the dust has settled on this final we will have a look at things."

But supporters took a very different view.

Life-long fan Dave McArdle said: "There was potential for a disaster. Leeds United are a disgrace."

The 37-year-old, who waited from 9.30pm on Tuesday and was just a few places from the front when tickets sold out, said: "I'm very, very disappointed with the club. I can't believe how badly they've treated us."

Supporters complained of a complete lack of organisation, claiming there were no stewards when they started queuing on Tuesday afternoon.

Some fans partied, drank and danced through the night but at 6am on Wednesday a large group of newcomers surged to the front and many who had been there since the night before were pushed to the back.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said the cordon was put in place for safety, to secure an area before the ticket office opened.

Darren Gallacher, 40, travelled from Oxford on Tuesday afternoon but had to step out of the queue after 12-year-old son Deon was crushed in Wednesday morning's surge.

"It was 6am and a steward said pack up, get in the queue but then everyone who came late surged forward. My son was crushed and started being sick.

"We set off from Oxford yesterday afternoon and now I am separated from friends who are in the other queue."

By late morning the queue had been divided into three sections; one in the car park and another at the top of steps leading down to the final leg at the ticket booth.

Police were allowing fans to trickle out to join the final queue at the ticket stand.

But at 12.30pm the crowd at the top of the steps began to bristle as just a couple of people were let out of the pen at a time.

The crush was only calmed as police officers filtered in to stand in between the tightly packed supporters.

Joseph Johnson, 54, of Beeston, said: "It was a party atmosphere last night, it was brilliant but the organisation has been an absolute shambles. There's been no channelling of the crowds and there wasn't a single steward up there in that car park last night to make sure those who were queuing kept to the queues."

Peter Fardoe, 49, travelled from The Wirral. "There's a complete lack of organisation at the club. People are dehydrated, people are fainting. It's not the police, it's not the fans, it's the club!"

The remnants of 24 hours of queuing chaos were evident in the car park last night as empty booze bottles, tents, chairs and duvets lay strewn across the dusty ground.

School teacher Graham Peel, 50, from Halifax, summed up the nightmare. "This is organised chaos, it's the worst I have ever seen it. It's an absolute disgrace. I have been a supporter of Leeds for 41 years. It's the fans who are suffering all the time. People have been here since last night and we have been let down."

Steve Rhodes, 38, said: "Fans are just seen as cash cows - they don't really care about us."

Fans were so annoyed by the way they had been treated it had been feared their anger might errupt into violence when tickets inevitably sold out but most said everyone was too drained by the "horrible" experience.

Several said the club had lost their respect and support and they wouldn't be buying a season ticket again.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: "Due to the large number of people at Elland Road queuing for tickets, in anticipation that many of those present would not be able to purchase a ticket, and in the interests of crowd safety, police took a decision to place a cordon at a particular point at the ground to prevent people unable to get a ticket from rushing that point. "This was put in place at around 6am to secure the area prior to the ticket office opening."

In a statement, Leeds United said: "The club experienced massive queues as the tickets were released for sale to season ticket holders and members to obtain an additional three tickets per card.

"Both season ticket holders and members have already had their priority booking periods which guaranteed them one ticket each.

"No further tickets will be available and we hope that those who are not able to attend are able to support the club from Leeds on Sunday."

Club members and season ticket holders were allowed to buy up to three tickets each and even before the last ticket had been sold at the club there were reports of them being offered by touts for up to £200 each.