John McGreal believes Colchester United’s fans can play their part in helping to cheer them on to a vital victory over Stevenage tomorrow.

The U’s head coach feels the club’s supporters have contributed to their excellent home record this season, which has seen them so far rack up 12 wins at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Only League Two leaders Doncaster Rovers have tasted victory more times on home soil in the current campaign.

And boss McGreal wants to see the bond between his players and the home fans in evidence again, this weekend.

McGreal said: “The fans have been terrific.

“They’re really important – the South Stand gets us going and that gets us going right throughout the ground.

“We’re hoping that they can do that for us again and help us make a good start, on Saturday.

“We took more than 400 to Notts County and they’ve been unbelievable.

“The home form does help, because it does help form that bond between the fans and the players and you can feel it.

“We needed to turn things around over the last few years there and I think the players have done that.

“It’s great to be back at home and the form there has been going particularly well this season, second I think only to Doncaster.

“We have the first, second and fourth-placed clubs to come here so hopefully they will be good atmospheres and we can put on a show, like we did against Luton.

“Hopefully, they can give us that big support and we can repay them and we can give them the result we all want.”

Colchester have no fresh injury worries for their game with Stevenage.

Defender Cameron James is fit despite having to go off with a head injury in the U’s 3-1 defeat at Notts County, last weekend.

Colchester under-23s were beaten 3-2 at Huddersfield Town yesterday.

Tariq Issa and Callum Anderson were on target for Wayne Brown’ s side in their Professional Development League Two match, at the John Smith’s Stadium.