Colchester United’s supporters have a big role to play in helping to propel their team into the League Two play-offs.

East Anglian Daily Times: Frank Nouble, who served the third in a three-match suspension at Cambridge, by mixing with the U's supporters in the crowd. Picture: STEVE WALLER WWW.STEPHENWALLER.COMFrank Nouble, who served the third in a three-match suspension at Cambridge, by mixing with the U's supporters in the crowd. Picture: STEVE WALLER WWW.STEPHENWALLER.COM (Image: � Copyright Stephen Waller)

The U’s away fans turned up in their numbers last weekend, with an official figure of 1,119 watching behind the goal in the Allotments End where Kane Vincent-Young netted his dramatic last-gasp winner in a 1-0 success at Cambridge United.

And such is the close relationship between the fans, and the team, that U’s star players Harry Pell and Frank Nouble were among them in the Abbey Stadium crowd.

Key midfielder Pell is potentially sidelined for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, while Nouble was serving the third of a three-match ban.

But the experienced duo were cheering from the sidelines when Vincent-Young rifled home his 96th minute shot into the roof of the net to guide the U’s to within one point and one place of the play-off zone.

Manager John McGreal believes the fans have a big part to play over the last month of the season, starting with this Saturday’s home fixture against Oldham Athletic.

“The fans kept us going right through to the 95 or 96 minutes, and they need to be applauded for that,” enthused McGreal.

“Our own players Pele (Pell) and Noubs (Nouble) were in there with the fans today (Saturday), which shows the fantastic relationship the players have with the fans.

“Our supporters turned up in their numbers, with nearly 1,200 crossing the border.

“They have come to watch the likes of Frankie Kent, Sammie Szmodics, Courtney Senior and Kane Vincent-Young, our own players.

“We got to the ground at 1.30pm, and many of our fans were already there. We could hear our fans from the dressing room straight away, before the warm-up.

“They have been feeling sore of late, just as we have, after a couple of bad results, but they were roaring us on.

“You have to give them credit. That special relationship, with our boys in there getting along with the fans – they have a hell of a belief in our team.”