WHEN Liverpool supporters staged their recent walkout over ticket prices, a banner was held up, declaring: “Football without fans is nothing.”

It is a message which speaks volumes because, for far too long, the loyalty of football fans across the country has been taken for granted.

And without those fans parting with their hard-earned cash every week, football would lack the atmosphere which makes our Premier League so special.

We, therefore, welcome the announcement that Premier League clubs have agreed to cap away tickets at £30 for the next three seasons. With so much television money sloshing around at the top of the game, it is the least the clubs could have done.

It is still lower than the objective of the Football Supporters’ Federation for a £20 cap but it is a step in the right direction and testament to the effectiveness of the “Twenty’s Plenty” campaign conducted by the FSF.

We now have the bizarre prospect of travelling supporters having to pay more to watch second-tier football than top flight games next season, with The Price of Football study showing that 13 clubs in the Championship charge £30 or more for their most expensive away tickets.

It is an anomaly which underlines the wealth gap and raises the question of whether the massive amount of money flowing into the national game is fairly distributed through the football pyramid.

The arguments will continue but football supporters can at least take comfort from the evidence that intelligent, dignified mass protests can make the country’s most powerful football clubs review the way they conduct their business.

The fans are finally being listened to and, ultimately, that has to be good for the game.