JOHN Terry voiced his support for Chelsea fans fed up with being at the mercy of TV companies in the scheduling of games.
The Blues, without a weekend away game for an incredible 16 weeks this season, took 2,300 fans to Blackpool on Monday night after the game was switched from its original 3pm Saturday slot for live TV.
Terry described the showing by the fans, one of their most vocal of the season, as ‘brilliant again’.
He said: "It’s been a little bit unfortunate for them really because we’ve had a few midweek games.
"We know how important it is for them, with their jobs, and an early start in the morning for them to get up again.
"Everyone does appreciate and think about the time you spend travelling and time off work, so from all the players we’d like to thank them for their great support again."
Chelsea have been without a weekend away fixture since Sunday, December 12 when they played at Tottenham. They do not have another before their trip to Stoke on Saturday, April 2 - a gap of almost four months.
In the interim, fans have made midweek trips to Wolverhampton, Bolton, Sunderland and Blackpool.
Their last Premier League away game in the traditional 3pm Saturday slot was back in November. Chelsea Supporters Group says it has spoken to both the club and the national Football Supporters Federation - which says the 16-week run is unprecedented.
Meanwhile, Chelsea this week sit out their third consecutive weekend without any fixture at all - though this is in part because of their early exit from the FA Cup.
No more midweek away games are scheduled for the Blues in the league this season, however concern has been raised in some quarters about the potential impact of shifting the visits of both West Ham and Tottenham to 5.30pm on a Saturday at Stamford Bridge .
Both fixtures have been the focal point for trouble involving a minority of fans in recent seasons, and the later kick off allows more time for alcohol to play its part.
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