Charlton fan protest outside The Valley, good turnout with several hundred supporters here. One line from the speeches stands out: “Demonstrating is not something we enjoy. It’s something we have to do.”

Fans leaving pound coins at the feet of Sam Bartram in symbolic protest against ESI buying the club for £1. #SaveCAFC

Some more snippets from the speeches given outside The Valley this afternoon. “These people [ESI] are absolutely no good, they have no plans for this football club, they have no intentions for this football club, and they didn’t when they first came in. It’s a bloody disgrace.”

Huge amount of anger at ESI and Roland Duchatelet, obviously. Intense frustration at the EFL, who I’m told have thus far failed to respond to a request for a meeting with the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust. Disappointing but unsurprising.

Was good to see a few Brighton and Wigan fans there in a show of solidarity. Football definitely needs more of that if fans are going to force change at organisations like the EFL, demand reformed rules and regulations and, ultimately, get better custodianship for their clubs.

While I’d say there’s cautious optimism about Thomas Sandgaard, there’s also an understandable wariness. He basically said as much earlier this week when he talked about having to win fans’ trust over a period of several years. He’s right on that much, which is a start.

The money left under Bartram’s statue will be going to the Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust’s Covid relief fund, which says everything about Charlton fans really. Given the total self-interest of their various owners in recent years, the contrast in values couldn’t be more stark.

There was a statement sent on to the protest by Eltham MP Clive Efford which nicely summed up the club as an institution. “For over 100 years, Charlton Athletic has been at the heart of this community. Few clubs can match its record of community involvement over many years...

“Football clubs are not just businesses, they are rooted in their local communities. It is the fans that have nourished and supported them through thick and thin, generation after generation...

“There are few other examples where communities have such a large stake in an institution. They should not be allowed to be bought and sold for as little as £1. This is a fight not just for Charlton but for all football fans up and down the country...

“What is happening at The Valley could happen at any club in the future.” Pledged to continue to demand answers from the EFL on how a club could be sold to ESI without proof of funds.

Worth remembering that, if there isn’t a positive solution in the next month or so, Charlton’s existence is under threat. That was reflected in conversations with everyone I spoke to today. The Supporters’ Trust are still planning for a fan ownership push if worst comes to worst.

Finally, in a protest not many will see, I’m told that the Charlton museum has been emptied out so that, in a disaster scenario, the contents can’t be sold off. A reminder of how serious the situation is that fans have had to hide historic silverware for safekeeping.