OXFORD United supporters’ trust OxVox has revealed it met with Firoz Kassam last week over the deal to buy the Kassam Stadium and make it community-owned.

In a statement sent to members on Thursday night, the group said they had met with Mr Kassam and Oxford City Council for the first time this year to progress their discussions.

OxVox’s conversations with the City Council and Mr Kassam have been well-documented.

The supporters’ trust issued a statement a fortnight ago saying they hoped to have ‘heads of terms’ – a framework for a business deal – agreed by the end of the season.

But the club’s board responded by saying they felt the deal was taking too long.

In a statement on Thursday OxVox said: “Last Friday, January 20, we met with Firoz Kassam and Oxford City Council for the latest in our series of meetings aimed at bringing matters to a head by summer 2017.

“It was a constructive and positive meeting, which enables us to report that we are optimistic that we will indeed be able to present a new and better stadium situation to the board of OUFC and community in the timescale originally envisioned.

“However, a good part of that meeting was spent with the other two parties questioning the recent statements by the board of OUFC, and leaving us in little doubt that these interventions – by the company that everyone is trying to assist – are not overly helpful in bringing matters to a positive and timely conclusion.”

United’s board has issued the following statement this evening: “We recently sought greater clarity over the key terms underpinning the current OxVox/Firoka/ City council negotiations, through a series of open questions, but it is now clear that this clarity and certainty will not be forthcoming.

“Ox Vox has set a self-imposed deadline of ‘delivering a new and better stadium to the Board of OUFC and the community’ by the end of the season, but our questions stand, as tabled, especially re the timing of Heads of Terms.

“Going forward, until Ox Vox are able to revert to us with more specific plans, we will refrain from making any further statements or holding any further meetings with them regarding the stadium.

“The board will not be deflected from building on the progress made over the past two years; our chairman has invested significantly in this club and our commitment to building sustainable success will not be compromised.”

The news comes ahead of United's match against Newcastle on Saturday. With a capacity crowd of just under 12,000 fans expected to pack out the Kassam Stadium, the club's managing director Greig Box-Turnbull said he thinks the visitors will make the occasion extra special.