There is certainly nothing unique about the working-class roots of Liverpool Football Club. Indeed, the national game can trace its beginnings as much to the northern mill towns of Preston and Accrington as to the shipping and mining cities of Merseyside and neighbouring Greater Manchester. Much has changed since Tom Finney was making a splash in the old First Division, and the reformed Stanley have never risen above the fourth tier, but that working-class heart has struggled to keep beating in the face of the untold riches unleashed by the formation of the Premier League in 1992. Wednesday’s rare and precious victory against yet another ticket-price hike is the proof of that pulse, and if there was one club likely to achieve it, it was Liverpool.

Liverpool is a club tied to its surroundings more than any other. From the days when a swaying Kop sung Beatles songs mid-match, to Robbie Fowler celebrating a goal in the 1990s by revealing a T-shirt supporting the city’s striking dockers, (red) scousers and their side have enjoyed a special rapport through both the good times and the bad.

Tragically, it was the very worst of those times that cemented that relationship more than any other, and as the fight for justice finally looks to be drawing to a close some 27 years after the cover-ups and The S*n’s lies, the Hillsborough campaign groups soldier on.

Behind the interminable struggle stands a city and a club united by the needless deaths of 96 fans who just wanted to watch their team.

Even with this unique tale of togetherness in mind, the cynic inside me never believed it would happen. A victory over corporate greed in the era of modern football? Surely not… What other sector of business would dream about placing customers sentiments and loyalty first? And yet the owners responded. “A great many of you have objected strongly. Message received”, read an open letter from Fenway Sports Group, as they announced plans to scrap the proposed £77 ticket – freezing prices from this season – along with a number of other positive measures.

On the same day so-called northern powerhouse councils including Liverpool were overlooked for government windfall payments, with the lion’s share going to southern Tory shires, fans have been listened to by their club.

Football is central to so many communities, and against the never-ending backdrop of austerity, the inflation of its cost simply must stop. While Fenway’s welcome u-turn doesn’t render Saturday afternoons cheap for Liverpudlians by any means, it is a key milestone that could set the ball rolling across the country.

Bill Shankly once quipped that a football club is made up of a “holy trinity: the players, the manager and the supporters.” This triumph is a welcome reminder that the one group too often forgotten about is the one that keeps the game going. Without fans, football is nothing.

The ticket prices of the modern age:

£14,000: The most expensive pair of black market tickets for the 2013 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

£2,013: The most expensive season ticket in the Premier League, for Arsenal in 2015. Finishing fourth almost guaranteed.

£650: The most expensive 2014 World Cup Final ticket, between Germany and Argentina.

£97: The most expensive Premier League non-member match-day ticket, to see Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

£59: The cheapest ticket available for overseas fans in the 2014 World Cup.

£22: The most expensive match-day ticket to watch Cambridge United playing in League Two.

£10: The cheapest match-day ticket in the Football League, which can be found at Derby County, Huddersfield, and Reading.

£10: The price of a ticket for last year’s Varsity football match. Included in the price were a free drink and burger or hotdog, and reduced entry to Fez or Life.

£0: The price Swindon Town fans had to pay to watch their 4-0 FA Cup first round loss to Macclesfield, after players and staff were forced to reimburse them. Intense disappointment and frustration optional.