Carshalton Athletic striker Paul Vines has admitted the pressure being placed on manager Paul Dipre has been distracting for the playing squad.

A long-running feud between Dipre, who also owns the club, and a section of fans has culminated with protests during games and a campaign to boycott the final home match of the season against Aveley this Saturday.

And Vines, signed last summer, would like the distractions to come to an end soon.

“The fans want to make us aware but it’s between him and them,” he said.

“It’s not really one for us to get involved in. The fans are there, they sing, they give you the applause but at times it can be off-putting.

“It’s a difficult one to get involved in because there’s nothing directed at the team, it’s an issue that they have with the manager.

“Ideally, it needs to be resolved in one way or another but there’s not a lot that us as a team of players can really say or do about the matter.”

Vines made it 28 goals for the season on Saturday but could not prevent the Robins, for whom Sonny Ayres also scored, falling to late 3-2 defeat at promotion-chasing Lowestoft Town.

“It was disappointing and it’s a long way to travel to come away with nothing and that does not help after a defeat,” added Vines.

“Because they are a team comfortably sitting in the play-off positions we didn’t start too well.

“But, if it wasn’t for a couple of lapses in concentration, we could and should have come away with a minimum of a draw and could have nicked the game from them.”