SEVERAL hundred Saints fans are expected to join a lunchtime protest march against the club’s board of directors today.

The march – to protest against PLC chairman Rupert Lowe and football board chairman Michael Wilde – has been organised via a group discussion board on the social networking site Facebook. A group was started on the site in the aftermath of the 2-1 home loss to Doncaster a fortnight ago, and has attracted almost 2,000 members.

Around several hundred protesters are expected to march ahead of Saints’ Championship game against Swansea.

The march starts at the Bargate in the city centre at around 1.15pm-1.30pm and will procede down past Hanover Buildings, diagonally through Hoglands Park, northbound Kingsway, right into Old Northam Road, past the King Aldred pub, over the Iron Bridge and down Britannia Road to finish at the Itchen Stand at St Mary’s.

March organisers have been in contact with Hampshire Police and two police motorcycles plus other police on foot will accompany the protesters.

Lowe will not be at the game today because he is on holiday.

The younger generation of fans, meanwhile, have been praised for organising the march.

Southampton Independent Supporters Association member Perry McMillan, a veteran of the early 1990s protests against Ian Branfoot, said: “It’s encouraging to see the younger generation organising themselves in this way, talking to each other on the Internet.

“I hope it will be a peaceful march because the time to protest is before and after the gane, and during it cheer on the team 100 per cent.”

See this weekend's Pink and Monday's Daily Echo for all the latest on the protest. Plus a report and analysis of Saints' latest match against Swansea.