IT can be tough being a supporter of Colchester United – particularly those who travel thousands of miles in a season to see them at away grounds, so today I bring you a flavour of what it is like “on the road” to coin a footballing term for such fixtures.

Last Tuesday, my son Mark and I joined 19 fans on a coach organised by Colchester United Supporters’ Association for the 13-hour, 400-mile round trip to Crewe Alexandra in Cheshire. First, let me set the scene from happier times.

Ten years ago this month, around 1,500 Colchester United supporters returned from Somerset celebrating promotion from League One to the Championship (second tier of English football) for the first time in the club’s then 70-year history.

A 0-0 draw at Yeovil secured the single point which was required in the last match of the season, the U’s finishing runners-up to Southend United.

The following season the U’s at one time were in the play-offs for the Premiership, eventually finishing tenth – ahead of Ipswich, Norwich and Southend (who came bottom), making Colchester the top team in the East of England.

It was, perhaps, too good to be true and the second season in the Championship (the last at Layer Road) ended with the U’s bottom and relegated back to League One where they have been for the past eight years.

But now, a decade after that momentous afternoon at Yeovil, Colchester United are leaving League One in the opposite direction – relegation to League Two.

In Colchester’s first glorious season in the Championship I attended 15 away fixtures (over the years I have seen the U’s play at 35 away grounds or 36 if you include the three games at the old Wembley Stadium). For many I travelled on a CUSA coach, so in a spirit of nostalgia I joined some of the club’s most dedicated fans to go to Crewe.

I had been a season ticket holder at Layer Road for many years, having watched my first game in 1956 but I did not transfer to the new Community Stadium other than one or two games a season. The trip to Crewe was my first away since the Championship days.

The coach left the Community Stadium at 1.30pm. The oldest fan was aged 81, the next oldest 78 – he saw his first match at Layer Road aged eight before the U’s were admitted to the Football League (Third Division South) in 1950.

Our route was along the A12 to Marks Tey, the A120 to the M11 near Stansted, stopping at Braintree to pick up six U’s fans who live in that area.

We got to Cambridge where the M11 merged into the A14. An hour later we joined the M6 and 20 minutes after this stopped at Corley Services.

We left the M6 toll road to join the A500 to Crewe where we arrived at he Alexandra Stadium in Gresty Road at 6.15pm, 90 minutes before kick-off. We were there before the home fans!

Later, U’s and Crewe supporters shared the bar. Some U’s fans – in gallows humour, awaiting the drop into a lower league – sang “We’re all going on a League Two tour”!

We took our seats at 7.35pm, kick-off was ten 10 minutes later. The ground was bathed in evening sunshine; visiting fans were in a stand in the shade. The pitch was immaculate, all grass after a season of football.

The two teams came onto the pitch together: Crewe in red shirts, Colchester in their away strip of white shirts. U’s supporters – 103 it was stated over the public address – seemed to be making more noise than the 3,000 Crewe supporters! Amongst those cheering Colchester were people who live in the North of England, one a man who grew-up in Mile End who now lives in Nantwich.

Gazette football reporter Jonathan Waldron has already reported on the game, so all I need say is that it was not the best I have seen over the years. It was 0-0 at half-time; the U’s went ahead with a penalty in the 65th minute; Crewe equalised in the 91st (the first of three minutes’ stoppage time.

At full-time, U’s players came over to applaud the travelling supporters.

Then came the long journey home. We left Crewe at 9.50pm, stopped for a break at Cambridge Services at 12.35am and got back to the Community Stadium at 2.20am.

In all, the cost of the adventure was about £50.

CUSA deserve thanks for all their voluntary work in providing away travel for Colchester supporters.

I end with a quote from Crewe manager Steve Davis, who observed in the programme: “I have nothing but admiration for those die-hard fans who have to make those travel arrangements to see their team in action.

“They often have to take a day off work or at least half-a-day and then there are the costs involved as well.”