STEVE Waggott has called on any stay-away Rovers fans to show their support for the team in Saturday’s final game of the season.

The club’s chief executive hopes reduced ticket prices can act as an ‘amnesty’ to those supporters critical of the running of the club in recent years.

Waggott hopes fans can get behind the team for the 90 minutes when Oxford United arrive at Ewood Park.

More than 20,000 tickets have been sold for the final game of the season, with Rovers still in with a shout of lifting the League One title. Adult tickets have been cut to £10 with the upper stand of the Blackburn End open to supporters.

“The offer was made for the £10 offer for the last game as a bit of amnesty,” Waggott said. “If you can lay down your qualms and get behind the team then we’d love to do it and get everyone to celebrate the success of the club in the final game against Oxford.

“It will be a healing process. Some get to a point of principle where they say ‘never’. Hopefully the football will help them change their mind.

“Footballers come and go but fans are for life and all the other cliches.

“They have made a hell of a difference, both at the home games when there’s been 13,000 or 14,000 in the stadium, and away, they have made a hell of a din.”

Waggott has met with several supporters groups since taking over as chief executive at Rovers in December.

And he hopes that promotion back to the Championship can be the platform for maintaining the feelgood factor around Ewood Park.

“I was thinking about when I watched the fans enjoying the emotion of promotion,” Waggott added.

“I thought that is this part of the healing process, can we heal the scars and move forward?

“In recent weeks I have met quite a few of the supporters groups, people from the BRAG, London Supporters and had some (conversations with) fans’ forums and key influencers among fans.

“I know they have protested against the club but can they just turn the telescope around and focus on what’s happening on the pitch for 90 minutes.

“After that, we’re fair game for the rest of the week, me and others, but just get behind the team.”

The Rovers fans have shown a huge level of support this season with the visit of Oxford set to be the highest Ewood attendance since 23,130 watched the FA Cup fifth round defeat to Manchester United in February 2017.

Waggott added: “Tony Mowbray has picked it (the club) up, the players have talked about it, and the away fans on the road are nothing short of incredible.

“That bond between players and supporters is vital, it probably adds another eight to 10 points a season. It’s an intangible thing to say but that’s the sort of impact it has.

“The players, along with the manager and all of the staff, are giving their all and I think that’s one thing fans do pick up. If you give maximum effort and you fall short then there’s some forgiveness but if you don’t then there’s no forgiveness which is understandable.”

Tickets will remain at the reduced prices until 3pm on matchday before reverting to the usual Category B pricing structure ahead of the 5.30pm kick off.

Waggott is hoping that with promotion secured, Rovers can maintain increased attendances moving forward.

“We hope so,” he added. “With the success on the pitch and the work off it, with the junior memberships, the supporter groups, we hope that’s reflected in people moving from their armchairs to people moving to seats within the stadium. That’s a big thing.

“There are so many options of where you watch football but we want them to be in the stadium, get behind the team and we have seen the impact they can have on the team and we need to build on that next season.”