Charlie Oatway has hit out at the Withdean knockers and told them to stay away.

The heart-on-his-sleeve midfielder says the players are "dumbfounded" by the stick they and boss Steve Coppell received from pockets of the South Stand against Burnley last Saturday.

Coppell was sufficiently angered by some of the comments to raise the matter in the press conference after Steve Sidwell's late double rescued a 2-2 draw.

Now Oatway has offered a player's perspective of the baffling abuse as Albion's dual title winners battle for First Division survival.

"We are dumbfounded with it all," he revealed. "I look at where this club has come and it's the same group of players. We are killing ourselves to try and get the points.

"I don't think they could ever say we have laid down and died. Maybe the performance at Palace offended everyone, when we were overawed and let ourselves down.

"Other than that, I have been here four seasons and I don't think it has happened too many times.

"The gaffer knows he has got a group of players who aren't going to lay down and die and for him to get stick I find amazing. We have picked up points and with the exception of Palace we have been in with a shout every game.

"I think it's a joke to be honest. I think they have got to look at where they've come from themselves. This club was going out of the Football League and now we are in the First Division, competing with clubs like Derby and Wolves.

"These are dreams to certain people. Ninety per cent of the fans are as good as gold. They can't believe it, they think this season is for free and I think that is the way you have got to take it.

"What amazes me is that, in amongst 7,000 people, you always hear the nuggets, but then they are the ones that make sure they are heard.

"They stand behind the dugout and have got too much to say instead of thinking 'At least the boys are rolling up their sleeves and having a fight for the 15 quid I've paid'. If they feel like that then just don't turn up."

There was an element of irony about the fans' unrest. The front cover of the programme for the Burnley match carried a picture of applauding captain Danny Cullip, with the words 'Thank you for a year of wonderful loyalty'.

The whingers of Withdean, however, contrast starkly with Albion's superb away following.

"It's hard to say the away fans are a different breed because as I said 90 per cent of the fans we have got are as good as gold, but 100 per cent of away fans are second to none," declared Oatway.

"They make sure they are heard, they are behind the players and the management. They know what they are trying to achieve.

"He (Coppell) is doing everything he possibly can. We have been in near enough every single day. We are trying to get things right and we are trying our best and yet you are still getting slated for it, which I think is unjustified.

"This is the second time I have spoken about it this season. I am speaking on behalf of all the players, they all feel the same way. We need people behind us, not against us, especially our home fans."

Unfortunately for Oatway, he will not be able to experience the vocal backing of Albion's travelling army at Coventry next Saturday.

He made his first home start for ten weeks against Burnley in place of the injured Simon Rodger, but a mysterious fifth booking of the season at Norwich on Boxing Day after coming on for Rodger at half time means he is suspended for the trip to Highfield Road.

The combative former captain had gone seven appearances without a caution since collecting his fourth yellow card of the campaign against Grimsby at the end of September and he is peeved by the manner in which his automatic one-match ban came about.

"I thought the ref (Keith Hill) was going over to Kerry (Mayo) and Jonesey (Nathan Jones), but he came up to me and said he was booking me for diving. I told him I hadn't even been past the halfway line!

"Me and Bob Booker went to see him after the game and then he said he booked me for dissent. I don't think I have been booked for dissent in my whole career.

"That is what hurt me more. I don't like players getting booked for that, because once a ref has made a decision he's never going to change it. Even when he booked me I just swallowed it and got on with it.

"You are back in the team and then all of a sudden, through no fault of my own, out because of that. It's heartbreaking and I'm gutted about it."

All the latest from the camp plus our live matchday coverage from Carrow Road at thisisthealbion.co.uk