Mark Jones, the former Oxford United star who returned to make his soccer courses across Oxfordshire one of the football club's biggest success stories, has hit out at the way he was treated at the Kassam Stadium.

He says his love of the club was abused, and he was treated without any respect by the directors.

Jones quit last week and left the club on Tuesday, bitter at his treatment after the way he had single-handedly managed the courses which made Oxford United the club thousands of youngsters wanted to support.

'Jonah' started off with one course on one night a week and developed it into a mammoth operation, with the help of Les Taylor, who was also a soccer course director for a time, before he was promoted to youth development officer.

That left Jones on his own again to manage the courses at Banbury, Didcot, Abingdon, Witney, Bicester, Carterton, Thame and Wantage.

He was operating 12 evening courses as well as others during the school half-terms and holidays.

He was employing between 15 and 20 coaches and during the year, 4,000-5,000 schoolchildren across the county came under his guidance and were indoctrinated into supporting Oxford United.

But at a meeting with directors Ashwini Tawakley, Bill Smith and Nilu Kanani last week, when he announced his resignation, Jones was first asked: "What exactly do you do here?"

It was then suggested to him that his work could be done by one of the secretaries.

In his resignation letter, Jones said: "Eight years ago, I was brought in with the task of raising money for the club through soccer courses. From this revenue, I have funded not only my wages but those of all of the community staff, and still had regular lump sums to hand to the main club's accounts.

"Like some other members of staff at the club, my love of United has been abused and used against me.

"I have not had a wage increase for the past six years.

"I accept now that I will never get either the financial reward nor - just as important to me - the respect that I deserve, which is why I must go."

Bitter at the way he has been treated, Jones told me: "For a number of years now, I have felt extremely under-valued.

"In the past three months, I have repeatedly written to Bill Smith to request a meeting to discuss my unhappiness. At the time of my resignation, I still await acknowledgement of these letters.

Jones added: "I have loved Oxford United both man and boy.

"I had eight fabulous years, helping Oxford rise from the old third division up to the top flight. I was also in the Milk Cup squad.

"As a result of my treatment in the last couple of years, I have been left a bitter taste in my mouth."

Jones is not the first highly-respected football man to cut his ties at United because of the way he says he has been treated. Others include the late Maurice Evans and Mick Moore.

Jones was planning to walk away from the game completely. But after lengthy discussions with his friend Dave Hunt, who has run his own successful courses for children for a number of years, he is joining a company called Premier Soccer Centres to provide coaching for the children of Oxfordshire.

And Premier League Southampton have said they are willing to support it.

"Southampton is a club that invests heavily in youth, with scouts and development centres all over the country," Jones says.

Bill Smith was unavailable for comment and Nilu Kanani was not prepared to respond to Jones's allegations.