MORE than 300 angry football fans plan to invade a peaceful East Lancashire village to protest at the way the chairman is running their club.

Followers of trouble-torn Brighton and Hove Albion plan to demonstrate outside the Mellor home of chairman Bill Archer before and after the side's North West clash with Wigan Athletic on Saturday.

Outraged Seagulls supporters say they also plan to distribute leaflets to Mr Archer's neighbours asking for their support in persuading him to relinquish his interest in Brighton.

But today supporters and police said they were confident the demonstration would be peaceful.

The protest outside Mr Archer's home in Whinney Lane, Mellor, Blackburn, is the latest part of a campaign to force him to quit the club.

Demonstrations during Tuesday's game with Lincoln at their Goldstone Ground forced play to be halted in the first half for 12 minutes. Supporters are angry at the decision of Archer and the Brighton board to sell the Goldstone Ground and also at the breakdown in talks with the consortium headed by businessman Dick Knight which wants to take over the Third Division club.

Ian Hart, an official of the Independent Brighton Supporters Association, said: "People might think this is going to extremes, but we don't want him or any other members of the current board. We are concerned for the future of the football club."

The BISA leaflet to be distributed in Mellor states: "We are in your village as angry as hell to call for the prompt and immediate departure from our lives of Bill Archer.

"He has got hold of the shares of our club and then sold off our ground and left us with nowhere to go.

"We're now at rock bottom with nowhere to play, but things will improve if Archer will just go away.

"There is a consortium waiting in the wings with loads of new plans and Archer is holding them up with his refusal to go.

"He has outstayed his welcome at Brighton. We've come in peace to tell the people of Mellor what he has done to Brighton. We would ask you to join us in saying 'We want Archer out'."

Football intelligence officers based in East Lancashire said they would be liaising with officers from the Sussex and Greater Manchester forces before Saturday's game.

Mr Archer was today unavailable for comment.

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