COLCHESTER United’s chairman has promised fans he is committed to making sure the club grows and thrives – without risking its financial security.

U’s chairman Robbie Cowling’s pledge comes in the week the economic downturn hit hard at Colchester’s two nearest Football League clubs.

League One rivals Southend United could be forced into administration, and have league points deducted, if they fail to find £2.1million by Monday to settle their tax bill.

Meanwhile, Championship club Ipswich Town have because the annual wage bill has soared by more than £3.5million in the past year, to a new high of £11.9million.

Back at Colchester, chairman Mr Cowling and chief executive Steve Bradshaw are determined their club won’t suffer a similar fate.

They say the club has a different business model, one which requires no investment from a wealthy benefactor to survive.

U’s marketing staff recently handed out 2,000 fliers at Colchester North station in an effort to draw in newcomers who lack strong ties to the town, using the slogan, “Your Town, Your Team, Your Time”.

The club’s marketing team is targeting key home games against Southampton, Norwich City, Southend and Leyton Orient, with the aim of pulling in bigger-than-usual crowds.

And Mr Cowling’s stated ambition is to attract enough new fans to fill the Weston Homes Community Stadium’s East Stand – currently set aside for away supporters.

He said: “More and more people in Colchester are beginning to appreciate what great strides the club has made, both on and off the pitch.

“I am grateful to the Colchester fans who have shown great loyalty to the club. It is also great to see so many more of the people of the town starting to get behind our team.

“We have made things easier for our fans by making tickets for all this season’s home games available from the start of the season.

“We hope this will allow people to plan which games they’d like to attend and help boost the crowds.”

The club has a smart new 10,000-seater stadium and greater spending power. What it lacks is the gates to match.

The move to the new stadium coincided with relegation to League One, making attendances last season little different to those the previous season at the old Layer Road ground.

This week, the U’s announced their average attendance for the present season so far was 5,616 – the highest since the famous 1971 season, when the club beat Leeds United during an FA Cup run.

The club leases the Weston Homes ground, which was built with Government loans, secured by Colchester Council.

The ground is designed so that if success is forthcoming on the pitch, the capacity can be expanded from 10,000 to 18,000, simply by adding more sections to the stands.