Outside the ground, supporters – many sporting Hawaiian shirts and floral garlands – gave their reaction to the takeover.

Rob Brookes said it was “unbelievable”.

“We’ve got our club back,” he said.

“It was emotional at times, but the new chairman spoke really well and it sounds like a good future for us.

“Thirty-four thousand and relegated, and you’ve got that kind of atmosphere? This fan base is just unbelievable.”

Nikki Brookes added: “It was emotional when the chairman was speaking at the beginning. I think we all had tears in our eyes. The atmosphere was second to none. Brilliant.”

Sisters Lucy Finney and Cara Stepney said: “Everyone’s just happy. It’s like we’ve got our team back. Everyone’s just dead chuffed.

“This is what we were like when we knew we were going to Wembley. It’s light at the end of the tunnel.

“It’s a huge club, we just love it. It just shows what this fan base is and what it means to the community.”

Pedro Marsden added: “It was absolutely fantastic today – the fans were brilliant. We’re going down, we don’t care, simple as that. We’ll be back. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger – we’ll be back.”