Recent letters regarding Colchester United’s poor attendances over the past few weeks has reaffirmed some of my earlier predictions.

It seems we are unfortunately returning to the hard core attendances of 3,000 to 3,500 from the Layer Road days.

Many comment the prices’ charged per game in these present times are possibly a deterrent to supporters.

However, what guarantee is there if prices were reduced, the missing thousands would attend future matches?

Yes, we needed a new stadium and we should be proud of it, but many people appear to agree with my past observations and thoughts about the location, accessibility and serious lack of amenities near the ground that make it quite a task to attend.

The effort entailed in my attendance for an evening match is this. I work in Suffolk and get dropped off at the Ardleigh roundabout at around 6pm.

Even a funereally slow walk would still get me to the ground at about 6.35pm to 6.40pm with nothing to do when I get there, but standing around or sitting in the stadium.

Either of those two options in the colder times are not exactly enticing.

Nowhere to get a decent drink or eat on the way and the offerings at the stadium are, I feel, overpriced and not really appealing enough. It’s just fast food.

Unfortunately, we cannot go back to the days when you could stand and keep warm. No way can you keep warm sitting.

It cannot do a lot of good for our players’ morale, who give their all most weeks, only to see empty seats week after week.

Our dream of returning to Championship football has realistically got to be an impossible one in the foreseeable future.

WJ Cook
Nelson Street
Brightlingsea