Blackburn Rovers fans have backed sex-scandal skipper Garry Flitcroft and said: "We still love you!"

Around 4,000 Rovers supporters travelled down to Filbert Street for the team's crunch relegation encounter with Leicester City on Saturday.

Rival fans taunted the midfielder but for much of the game Rovers followers defiantly chanted the captain's name and the 29-year-old clapped back at the end of the game in appreciation.

The fans' actions contradicted reports in the national press that supporters had turned against Flitcroft in the wake of his lengthy legal battle aimed at preventing a Sunday newspaper revealing details of two alleged affairs.

Full details of the alleged relationships were printed in several national newspapers at the weekend after a high court judge said that a ban on the story was an unjustified interference with press freedom.

Last year Flitcroft obtained an injunction banning him being identified in the Sunday People story.

After the injunction was overturned, Flitcroft was given three weeks to appeal. That appeal failed and at midnight on Friday the ban on naming him expired, clearing the way for the media to identify the former Manchester City player.

Flitcroft has remained silent on the issue, although he appealed through the Lancashire Evening Telegraph on Saturday to be left alone.

He said: "At the end of the day, we have two important matches in the next three days and I just want to concentrate on that.

"I am a footballer and don't want to start talking about my private life. I hope people will respect my family's privacy."

Pauline Perkins, secretary of the Blackburn Rovers Supporters' Association, said: "All the fans are behind him. We chanted his name before the game and cheered him all the way through and at the end he clapped at us.

"Perhaps he was silly in trying to stop the papers identifying him because that is the only reason they have all gone to town on it now.

"But as far as we are concerned, it is yesterday's news. We have more things to worry about, like staying in the Premiership."

Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Leicester has placed Rovers back in the thick of the relegation quagmire.

Pauline added: "We have to hope that all this doesn't unsettle the team. They need to concentrate on staying up.

"It is going to be a tough fight, and what with people starting to make up rumours about people like Andy Cole wanting to leave, it seems as though it is going to be a dirty fight.

"The media could do with leaving well alone now."

Blackburn Rovers were due to play Southampton at Ewood this afternoon.