Manager Steve Whitton wants any new player joining Colchester United to move within an hour's travelling time of the town.

Whitton is keen to lay down the law and the same terms will apply to existing professionals looking to sign new contracts.

Defender Ross Johnson - signed from Brighton on Monday - and striker Karl Duguid - currently thinking over a new two year deal - are the first players to be affected.

Bachelor Johnson has already indicated his willingness to move to Colchester and Duguid said it would not cause any problems.

Whitton said today: "If my players want to play for Colchester I want them all to move house to within an hour's travelling distance of the town.

"I want them to feel an allegiance to the club and the town and the best way to do that is to live within striking distance of them. It is something I always did in my playing days.

"I don't think you would find England captain Alan Shearer driving up to a couple of hours every day to train and play for Newcastle."

The U's boss said every new contract issued by the club would now include a clause involving the respective player's housing location and travelling distance.

He pointed out: "I feel this is the right way to go about it. It is very important players should be near their work and remain fresh for their everyday training.

"Players must prepare themselves properly for training and for matches and that can't be done if they are facing a three or four-hour round trip to work every day."

Up to 14 U's players travel into Layer Road from out-of-town locations every day, while Lomana Tresor Lua Lua, Aaron Skelton, Craig Farley, Andy Walker, Steve Forbes and French duo Fabrice Richard and Thomas Pinault all have lodgings in Colchester.

U's youth team lost 6-1 at Brighton in a rearranged game yesterday, while the reserve team game against Barnet, scheduled for Layer Road this afternoon, was switched to Essex University.

It's a long way to Layer Road

Steve Whitton's attempt to get his U's stars to live within easy reach of Colchester reflects the long distances some of his players currently travel.

At least half a dozen U's professionals make a round trip of more than 100 miles just to attend Layer Road for training. Here's an idea of some of the marathon treks faced by the U's on an almost daily basis. All mileages are approximate:

110 miles: Defender Ross Johnson still travels from Brighton, but is planning a move to the Colchester area after his permanent signing this week

90 miles: Transfer-listed David Greene lives in Luton, while Karl Duguid is considering a move from his Letchworth home

80 miles: Striker Jamie Moralee lives near Godstone, in Surrey

70 miles: Joe Dunne, back at the U's for a second spell, lives near Gillingham, Kent

65 miles: Andy Arnott, signed from Brighton earlier this season, also lives in Kent, near Rochester

60 miles: Young striker Tony Lock travels from his home in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.