KEITH Curle has called for unity throughout Oldham Athletic to end the club’s turmoil - on and off the pitch.

Fans continued their war of words with controversial owner Abdallah Lemsagam as chants reverberated around Leyton Orient’s Brisbane Road ground, where flags and banners urging for a change of regime were also raised.

Non-season ticket holders have been shut out of Boundary Park for Saturday’s visit of Hartlepool United, and that would have been the case at Leyton Orient but for the club welcoming travelling fans on the day, after Latics took their 500 allocation off general sale and restricted tickets to one per season card holder.

The action was taken in light of recent and planned protests, with fans having staged four pitch invasions at home, the latest of which causing the game against Barrow to be held up in the second half.

But appeals to respect opposition’s grounds and stay off the pitch were adhered to at Brisbane Road, with fans offering a vocal demonstration.

Head coach Curle praised Latics supporters for the way they conducted themselves, despite the obvious frustration and disappointment of a 4-0 thrashing that sent them back to the foot of the League Two table.

A sixth defeat in seven games, in which they have conceded 14 goals, scored four and failed to keep a clean sheet, has made for a disastrous start to the campaign.

And Curle has called for everyone to pull together to help the club out of the mire.

“I know where the club’s at. I know exactly where the football club is at and the position that we’re in. We’re where we don’t want to be, and the only way you get out of it is sticking together,” he said.

“That unity comes from within, comes from the top and filters to everybody that’s got an association to the football club.”

Off-field events have dominated the attention for Latics this season.

But Curle is mindful of the on-field problems they are facing as they sit rock bottom of the Football League with just three points and a goal difference of -10 after the opening seven games.

And Latics’ head coach insists he will give everything he’s got to turn their horrendous start to the season around.

“Some people will walk away. There are people that have walked away at other clubs for different reasons,” said Curle.

“Staff wise now at the football club, we are down to the bare bones. But I’m staying and I’m fighting.

“Turning this ship, turning this football club around and getting it in the right direction will be a good achievement, and I want it on my CV.”

Of the fans, Curle added: “We respect the actions of the supporters. They’ve got their frustrations and their disappointment but they’ve got their entitlement to shout and scream as long as it’s not obscenities of any nature that can be offensive.

“They are here, they pay their money, they’ve an opinion and their freedom of speech entitles them to that.

“Excellent behaviour from them and they conducted themselves superbly well by not entering the field and not disrupting the game. That’s all we can ask.

“We will never condone anything being thrown onto the pitch or people entering the pitch.

“There’s annoyance but respect to the way they conducted themselves.”