IT'S more than 30 years since I first went to Layer Road to see Colchester United, writes DAVID WELHAM.

That was in the days of Jonathan Crisp and when in my opinion, we were lucky if we got a crowd of 2,000!

But there was something about the tiny ground and cramped conditions that led me to support Colchester United.

I just felt a real connection and because they were so close it felt like my team, not one who I could watch on TV and probably never go to see.

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Layer Road was small with a capacity of just over 6,000 but it was always intimidating.

Even when we got promotion to the Championship, the big boys didn’t like it and this played into our hands; that's why I think we did so well.

There's just something about following your home town, a connection that in my opinion you just don’t get from supporting a Premier League team.

There's been many ups and downs following Colchester United, none more so than when we relegated in 1990.

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But this only strengthened the bond I had with them even more and I can remember helping to get Layer Road up to scratch and to league standard.

I even recall going out to raise money to keep us in business, as the thought of us going to the wall I couldn’t even imagine.

We returned to the league in 1992, winning the double and beating Witton Albion at Wembley in the FA Trophy.

These are moments that I treasure and it was incredible to see Big Roy lift the League and FA Trophy, along with us beating Torquay United on a Friday night at Wembley, to win the 1998 play-off final.

The season we had under Phil Parkinson was memorable with promotion to the Championship, along with finishing tenth the following season and beating a lot of decent sides along the way, then dropping back to League One the following season.

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By now it was time to leave Layer Road and to the JobServe Community Stadium, just off the A12.

It has taken us time to make it our home but gradually, I think it is.

We're struggling a bit now but I'm confident we'll be fine.

But this is what it means to support a team like Colchester United - you don’t really dream of reaching the Premier League but there are occasional cup runs and who can forget beating Tottenham on penalties and then going to Old Trafford, if you were lucky.

I hope that you have enjoyed my journey of being a Colchester United fan.