Valencia captain Jose Luis Gaya has paid tribute to the fans after securing LaLiga safety.

VCF's 1-1 draw with Real Betis saw them beat the drop on the final day of the season.

Gaya said, "We did our own thing. We depended on ourselves. We knew that by scoring points we would stay up, and that's how it went. It was not necessary to look at other grounds. We have achieved it with a lot of work.

"It's liberating to be safe. We were very close to going down, but thanks to our drive, to the work that we have done at the end of the season after a very bad run since the World Cup, we were able to turn the situation around and hopefully it will really help us to not to play with fire, because the fans do not deserve to see their team where we have been this year. We have to apologise.

"At times, we weren't able to respond to the fans' support away from home with victories. I remember going to Almería, Cádiz, Mallorca… Away from home we have been very bad all season. In the end, in Vigo we were able to win and that match was key for us, with the boost that we got from the fans. I thank them for all that effort. They have encouraged us in every second and our staying up is, in part thanks to them."