A DISGRUNTLED football fan who hurled his season ticket at Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren will not be banned from the ground because the club "understands that kind of passion".

Chairman Steve Gibson said the fan would have his ticket returned and would be welcomed back to the Riverside.

Mr Gibson made the pledge as he met angry fans outside the ground following Saturday's humiliating 4-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa.

During the match, one fan made a public protest against the team's slide in form, running onto the pitch to throw his ticket at the dug-out.

Meanwhile, security staff had to intervene when out-of-form striker Mark Viduka was involved in a car park confrontation with up to 15 fans as he left the ground.

Mr Gibson attempted to pacify angry fans still protesting outside the ground more than two hours after the final whistle - and said Steve McClaren was still the club's best bet to get out of trouble.

Responding to one fan's comments that the manager lacked passion for the club, Mr Gibson said: "I can tell you if you had seen Steve McClaren tonight you would see how passionate he is about this football club."

Promising there would be no ban for the fan who made the season-ticket protest immediately after the fourth goal had been conceded, Mr Gibson said: "That man will get his season ticket back with no action taken because we understand that kind of passion."

Mr Gibson told fans: "When Steve McClaren came to this club we had only managed 42 points under Terry Venables.

"The only way this club has gone under Steve McClaren is up. We have won the Carling Cup, we have got into Europe the last two years running and we are still in the Uefa Cup. You have to look in the longer term. We have had a bad couple of months, but there are reasons for that.

"What we need is everyone, all the fans, to get behind the team."