A senior club official allegedly told supporters who carried a ‘Pozzo Out’ banner along the front of the Lower Graham Taylor Stand at the end of Saturday’s game with Bristol City that ‘you are allowed free speech but not anywhere inside the ground’.

That came in the wake of reports that a fan who was ejected for trying to attach a banner to railings at the front of the Sir Elton John Stand during the game with Huddersfield subsequently discovered he was no longer able to purchase tickets for home or away games until he had attended a meeting with the club.

And then, during last night’s grim home defeat against Cardiff, numerous supporters spoke of ‘spotters’ in the home stands, looking for fans with banners or any other indications of protest and then taking notes of seat numbers.

There was also the unedifying sight of one frustrated fan from the Rookery End running onto the pitch shortly before half time.

When the Watford Observer asked the club about these various issues, they stressed they have been following EFL regulations with regards to all the matters that have been in the public domain.

While there is obviously disharmony and unrest on the pitch and in the dressing room amid a run which has seen Watford win just three of their last 16 games, it’s clear patience has now run out off the pitch given there have been visible or audible signs of protest at each of the last three home games.

As the 2-0 win over Bristol City entered stoppage time on Saturday, two fans in the Lower GT Stand walked from the Rookery End towards the Vicarage Road end carrying a white banner with ‘Pozzo Out’ written on it in black.

As they got nearer to the Vicarage Road End, they were met by stewards who, it turns out, confiscated the banner and escorted them out of the ground.

After the banner had been confiscated and the two supporters were heading out of the ground, it is claimed someone who said they were a senior member of the club’s security team told them ‘you are allowed free speech but not anywhere inside the ground’.

Watford have said that the banner seen at the Bristol City game was larger than ground regulations permit and also had no fire safety certificate – however, rather than accost the banner carriers immediately they were met by club safety officers halfway along the front of the stand.

The club say their CCTV footage shows the supporters handing the banner amicably to club staff before heading for the exits. They say that reports of any conversations the fans had with club officials and staff cannot be corroborated.

The first banner incident occurred during the loss to Huddersfield on Good Friday, when a fan was ejected from the stadium for attempting to attach a towel with the words ‘Pozzo Out’ written on it to railings next to the away dug-out at the front of the Sir Elton John Stand.

The fan involved in this first incident had another shock coming his way when he tried to buy tickets for the Bristol City game online, and found he couldn’t.

Upon contacting the club he was told he would not be allowed to purchase any tickets, for home or away games, until he had attended a meeting with a club official at Vicarage Road.

On this matter the club say the supporter in question was removed from the ground after becoming abusive to staff when he was asked to remove his banner because, by standing to tie it to the railings, he was obscuring the view of other supporters.

Perceived abuse of club staff by any supporter is, the club said, deemed to be a transgression of EFL ground regulations and therefore his ticket purchasing capabilities were placed ‘on hold’ until he had accepted an invitation to meet with the club and discuss what happened.

There were no banners clearly visible last night, but the fans showed their opinion by leaving the ground early and, in many cases, not actually turning up – although the official attendance reported was 17,005, it was quite clear that figure was the number of tickets sold. The actual number inside the ground looked to be nearer 10,000 or 11,000.

There were also louds boos and jeering at both half-time and full-time, although this was partly masked by what felt an unusually loud level of music from the stadium PA system as soon as the referee blew his whistle.

After last night’s defeat, a number of supporters contacted The Watford Observer to report what one described as “stewards watching out for any signs of dissent in the stands”.

Another said: “Stewards in stands spying on supporters and noting anyone daring to say anything against the owners. The Club has become a disgrace to the legacy of GT.”

When the contents of this article were presented to the club for comment, a club spokesperson said: “The club cannot show discretion in the enforcing of its ground regulations. It is bound to The FA, EFL, its local SAG (Safety Advisory Group) and other relevant authorities in its commitment to enforce them with safety of all supporters at the forefront of actions.

“Giving voice to opinions, delight, despair and other emotions is absolutely the right of all supporters.

“Mention has previously been made about Martyn’s Law and how this will further increase the accountabilities for safety which all those who host large-scale public events will be bound by. Along with other clubs, we are currently assessing the likely extra impact of this likely legislation and its practical delivery in keeping Vicarage Road Stadium a safe place to visit.”

Martyn’s Law is a piece of pending UK-wide legislation that will place a requirement on those responsible for certain publicly accessible locations to consider the threat from terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures.