HEARTBROKEN friends and relatives of Ryan Passey who was stabbed and killed at Chicago’s in Stourbridge protested outside the venue on Friday night as it re-opened for business against their wishes.

The 24-year-old's dad Adrian Passey was among the group who congregated outside the town centre bar which reopened for the first time since Ryan was fatally attacked at the nightspot on August 6.

Stourbridge News:

The group remained outside the late night Ryemarket boozer for more than three hours from just after 9pm - to protest at the reopening of the venue before Ryan has been laid to rest.

The family have been unable to hold a funeral for the popular borough footballer (pictured below) as they had to await the results of a second post mortem but a date has now been arranged and a service will be held at St James's Church, Wollaston, on Friday September 22 at 11am.

At a licensing hearing on August 24 - Ryan's aunt Sue Passey appealed to bosses at the Deltic Group, which owns Chicago's, urging them to "do the right thing" and remain closed until at least after the young, self-employed window cleaner's funeral.

Stourbridge News:

But their pleas fell on deaf ears and club bosses said they had been closed for long enough as they had staff on the books.

Stourbridge councillor Nic Barlow also said he felt it would have been morally right for the club to remain closed until after Ryan's funeral.

Police stressed the venue would not be allowed to open until they were satisfied a stringent set of new conditions would be adhered to including the introduction of searches for every other customer entering the club.

But barely anyone was seen entering the venue on its reopening night on Friday and it is believed to have closed earlier than its usual 2am closure time on Saturday.

Ryan's aunt Ms Passey said relatives and friends were this week considering holding another protest outside the bar this Friday.

Friends of the centre midfielder, who played for Wrens Nest FC and previously Stourbridge FC's youth team, have also launched a Facebook campaign Respect for Ryan - calling on Chicago's bosses to keep the venue closed until after the funeral.

Managers at Deltic have said they did not take the decision to reopen the club lightly and they have promised to close on the day of Ryan's funeral as a mark of respect.

They also stressed they would be upping security.

Kobe Murray, of The Broadway, Dudley, has been charged with murdering Ryan and is due to face trial on January 24 2018.

The 19-year-old pleaded not guilty when he appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on September 5 and was remanded in custody.