Fans 'absolutely ecstatic' as Southend Utd is sold

A consortium led by Justin Rees (second from right) have bought Southend from former owner Ron Martin

Supporters of Southend United said they were "absolutely ecstatic" after a long-awaited takeover deal was completed.

The club had been blighted by legal battles, transfer embargoes and docked points over the past year.

A consortium led by Australian IT millionaire Justin Rees exchanged contracts with former owner Ron Martin in December, but issues surrounding housing plans stalled the deal.

The group said it was "delighted" to announce the Essex-based club had been successfully purchased on Friday.

"We now turn our attention to the start of the new season and hope that the Southend community will unite behind Kevin Maher and the Blues squad," a statement read.

"There remains much work to be done but with the support of the city, we are confident of a bright future for the Shrimpers."

A fan told the BBC they were "really, really thrilled" by the news

Sarah-Jane Marcello, who has held a season ticket at Roots Hall since 2001, said she was "absolutely ecstatic".

"It was really exciting because we've waited so long and now we've got our club back," she told the BBC.

"It was also really emotional after so much turmoil, it's been a proper rollercoaster."

Fellow supporter Alan Thacker said fans had been worrying about what was going to the happen to the Shrimpers for "a long time".

"There's been times when we really didn't think the club was going to survive," he said.

"Now we can have a bit of hope and we can start moving forward."

Labour MP David Burton-Sampson said those associated with the club had "certainty" about its future

Chris Windal, from Leigh-on-Sea, said he was "really, really thrilled".

"We could have gone down eight or nine divisions right to the bottom and need starting again," he said. "There was a lot of pessimism.

"We've got to push on now - it's onwards and upwards, and we need to get promotion in the next two or three years."

'Bright future'

The new Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, David Burton-Sampson, said he was "absolutely delighted" about the announcement.

He said supporters, players and staff had "certainty for the future of the club".

"We are committed as a government to bringing in the football governance bill so this never happens again to SUFC or any other club," the MP pledged.

His Conservative predecessor, Anna Firth, said on social media that news of the takeover was "fantastic news".

Their thoughts were echoed by the club's ex-players' association, which called for a "bright future".