Several thoughts crossed the mind of Katrien Meire, the Sheffield Wednesday chief executive, during her train journey to London for Sunday’s FA Cup match with Chelsea – among them the £600,000 minimum the club expect to generate from their Cup run so far and the five tequila shots she has riding on a positive outcome at Stamford Bridge.

One thing that did not enter her consciousness, however, was being pushed onto the train tracks by her own fans.

It has been 13 months since Meire announced she was leaving Charlton – one month less since she took up the same post at Sheffield Wednesday. “I love working in a city where you can feel football is a big part of it,” she says. “One of the first things I saw with the fans was how loyal they are and how much they want to support the club.

“I’ve been given a chance by them. From the moment I started, I felt a very different vibe. I’ve a lot of former colleagues who also used to work at Charlton and they say Charlton fans have a different type of identity and expect different things from the management of the club.”

Even now, such comments will only add fuel to continually burning flames of hatred harboured by swathes of Charlton supporters who blame Meire – and controversial Belgian owner Roland Duchatelet – for the demise of their club. While at the Valley, she presided over eight managerial changes and relegation to League One.