DAVE Jones today paid an emotional tribute to the people of South-ampton who have stood by him during his 18-month ordeal.

After being cleared on child abuse charges the former Saints boss, 44, talked of his gratitude for the phenomenal public and private backing which has kept him going.

The father-of-four, from Chilworth in Southampton, said: "The support I have had has been fantastic and I cannot thank people around here enough. They have been brilliant.

"My youngest daughter Georgia still does not know anything about what has gone on. We have told her we have been in meetings and the fact that we have been able to shield her with no-one saying anything to her is credit to the school and the people.

"We have had had so many wishing us well and outraged by what was happening to me and my wife Ann and I would like to thank every one of them. My mobile phone holds 50 messages at a time and in the first couple of days after it all fell apart I had to clear it five times.

"I would go through, take the messages and almost immediately it would be full again. I have had people phoning from Australia and Singapore and all over the world.

"There was unbelievable support across Merseyside but the backing from the people of Southampton means so much because my family and I still live here.

"There has been the odd idiot but I hope that anyone who said anything will take notice of what the judge said and put the record straight.

"He said he could not stop people saying there is no smoke without fire but there has never been any fire. It has been an absolute nightmare.

"I am just relieved it is all over now and I can concentrate on getting back into football and doing what I do best."

After 18 months under the cloud of suspicion, the case collapsed after just two and a half days at Liverpool Crown Court.

The only two witnesses to turn up were those escorted there from prison and Jones left the court completely vindicated and without a stain on his character.

He pointed to the fact that it collapsed round the prosecution case rather than the defence as proof it should never have got that far.

Jones' barrister said in 25 years he had never had so much evidence to prove a client was innocent and in all that time he had never heard a judge clear a man so completely.

Jones added: "I am lucky I was in a position to hire the best but there are many other innocent men who are not so fortunate. But I would have sold everything to pay for it if need be."