WE witnessed a real footballing rarity on Wednesday when there was a victory supporters of every club cheered with equal enthusiasm.

This was not a match on the field but the end to a long-running saga off it regarding away ticket prices.

The Premier League announced its member clubs had unanimously voted to cap away ticket prices at £30 for the next three seasons after huge pressure from fan groups with the new TV deal starting in August and worth an eye-watering £5billion.

Fans at Premier League clubs have argued long and hard that prices should be slashed with many supporters struggling to fund their obsession in times of austerity for Joe Public.

While wages stay frozen and belts are tightened, the influx of money into football from television companies has continued unabated, and for the man on the terrace – or stands as it is these days – there had been no knock-on benefit.

The argument ramped up this season with supporters from all clubs joining forces for the ‘Twenty’s Plenty’ campaign.

Banners at grounds, publicity in the newspapers and mounting pressure on MP’s has seemingly done the trick and while it may not be the figure fans desired, it is a victory for the supporters who top clubs now prefer to refer to as consumers.

It has shown just how strong fans can be when they unite to fight for a cause.

Like the Manchester United fans who stopped Rupert Murdoch’s takeover many years ago or the Liverpool match-goers who walked out early recently in protest at huge price hikes at Anfield – to then see the club back down 48 hours later – this is a victory that should be heralded.

But then will it be the sugar-coated gift that fans used to paying £60 for away games in the top flight hope for?

There is an argument it could rumble on with some clubs’ supporters already bemoaning why they will pay more than their visitors in the next three years.

Could it also affect away followers, too? Might clubs decide to reduce away allocations to get more home fans in on a higher price-band?

I hope not, and I hope that this really is a genuine gesture.

I certainly think the Premier League need it to be seen like that.

Dwindling attendances in recent seasons has shown pockets are not bottomless and empty stadia not only affects the game but the atmosphere in the ground – something the Premier League prides itself on as a unique selling point when they price up their overseas contracts for live football.

Fans in Asia, Africa and America want to watch English games with packed crowds and noisy atmospheres – they want to feel part of that wherever they are from Mumbai to Manhattan.

There would not be much demand to watch Aston Villa v Sunderland with empty stands as a backdrop.

As a match-going fan, I fully support any initiative that helps fans with the cost of watching their team.

My only concern is how it affects clubs below the Premier League’s promised land.

Will clubs who charge more than £30 in the second tier follow suit? They should do in theory to stop fans going elsewhere but they will not be bound to.

We could end up with the crazy situation that Bolton fans could be paying more than £40 at Leeds on the same day United or City fans are paying £30 at Arsenal.

Unless some of that big TV money filters down, I fear that will be the case and it will be the same old story for fans whose team remains away from that top table.