Charlton determined to rebuild fan relationship after protests
Monday 14 March 2016 06:09, UK
Charlton have vowed to work with supporters to try and improve the relationship with the club's owner and chief executive.
Sunday's 2-0 win over Middlesbrough was preceded by a mock funeral by fans fearing for the future of the Sky Bet Championship club, who are five points adrift of safety despite their victory.
Fans are furious with the way the club is being run by chief executive Katrien Meire and owner Roland Duchatelet.
The protests continued during the game, which was suspended shortly after kick-off to allow stewards to remove a host of beach balls from the pitch.
Charlton fans continued to blow whistles throughout the remainder of the game, lending proceedings a surreal atmosphere at times.
A large number of supporters then walked out of the ground with 16 minutes remaining, missing Charlton's second goal scored by Callum Harriott as they claimed just a seventh win of the season.
Hours after the final whistle, Charlton issued a statement calling on fans to come together and support the club in their bid to avoid relegation to League One.
The statement read: "The club is extremely saddened by the situation which has led to supporters demonstrating ahead of, and during, the match against Middlesbrough on Sunday.
"Every supporter has the right to voice their opinion and we are determined to do everything we can to work together with supporters to build our relationship with them and make sure they remain at the heart of this club.
"We would like to thank supporters for getting behind the team today as we picked up a valuable three points in our fight to stay in the Championship."
