Cambridge United's supporter liaison officer Dave Matthew-Jones delighted with club's purchase of the Abbey Stadium

Cambridge United’s supporter liaison officer has conceded he had given up hope that the club would ever be the owners of the Abbey Stadium again.

Dave Matthew-Jones was the chairman of the Cambridge Fans United group when the ground was sold in December 2004 to ensure that the U’s remained afloat.

Dark days – including administration and relegation out of the Football League – followed, but it was announced on Friday that the deal to put the Newmarket Road facility back into the hands of the Sky Bet League One club had been signed.

Matthew-Jones, who has supported United since 1970, said: “I never thought this was going to happen.

“I was chairman of the CFU when it was sold and it remains my biggest disappointment as a fan.

“It changed everything for many years and they were truly terrible days. It impacted a lot of people’s lives and it made some people ill.

“Your football club is meant to be there for your enjoyment but we were living hand to mouth and I don’t think anyone who wasn’t there at the time can fully appreciate the work that went on.

“I remember receiving a call one evening saying that the club was going to fold. We went around the ground trying to work out what we owned and what was leased and we fully expected to be forming a new club on the Monday.

“It’s amazing news that the club now own the ground again and as fans we’re really grateful to everyone that has helped to make it happen.

“The owners have been great and we also have to thank Grosvenor (previous ground owners) for how they helped out.”

It was somewhat fitting that the team marked the occasion on Saturday by picking up all three points with an impressive performance against Lincoln City.

Chants of “We’ve got our Abbey back” could be heard emanating out of the Newmarket Road End, and it was a day that will live long in the memory for Matthew-Jones.

“That is what football is all about. Going out on a Saturday, watching your team win and knowing that the future is a bit more certain,” he added.

“In the past everything was about the survival of the football club. At times we didn’t know if it would be there from one game to the next.

“Saturday was about all of those fans that really stuck by the club throughout all of those years because it was very, very tough.”

Head coach and lifelong United supporter Mark Bonner also spoke passionately about the news after the win over Lincoln, describing himself as being “the boy that stood in The Habbin”.

And Matthew-Jones is adamant Bonner’s role in the return of brighter days at the club should not be overlooked.

“Mark has been really key to a lot of this,” said Matthew-Jones.

“He knows the history of the football club, he cares deeply about it and he appreciated what happened all those years ago because he was here.

“He also has an understanding of what supporters want because he is one.

“There is a lot of things behind the scenes that Mark is involved with – he’s such an important part of the football club.”