JOHN Ward issued a rallying cry to the Colchester public to get behind their team after just 3,637 witnessed their superb start to the season continue on Saturday.

The comfortable 3-1 win over Tranmere means the U’s are now joint third in the table and are the only remaining unbeaten side in League One following eight games.

However, the 10,000 capacity Weston Homes Community Stadium was noticeably emptier than usual for the landmark result with there having been just one lower attendance there in the league for the whole of last season.

Colchester – whose average attendance was 5,530 in 2009/10 – now host Dagenham & Redbridge in an Essex derby tonight.

And U’s boss Ward is hoping a few more of the town’s residents can make it along to back his side.

He said: “It was a brilliant performance today but it’s just a shame there was just 3,600 people here to see it.

“There are less people here and we’re doing better. I don’t know why that is, but hopefully the ones that did come will have thoroughly enjoyed it.

“All I will say is that we have got a really good team here to watch that is playing some really good football when they can.

“There are a lot of positive things going on at this football club. We are trying to get this new training ground, the infrastructure of the junior and youth teams is good and we’re getting new slip roads for the ground.

“I just hope the chairman (Robbie Cowling) sticks with it. We do need a little bit more support though.”

Reflecting on his side’s victory over Tranmere, – a richly deserved first home win of the season following good displays in the three successive 1-1 draws against Sheffield Wednesday, Carlisle and Plymouth in Essex – Ward added: “I am absolutely delighted with my team.

“I challenged their application and attitude this week and I thought it was absolutely spot on today. If we weren’t right we would have got beat so I am really, really pleased.

“People have kept talking about the three 1-1 draws we’ve had at home but the truth is we probably played as well as, if not better, in those games as we did today in many ways.

“We’ve played really well in the first half of all our home games, but when you are in the ascendancy you have to put your chances away and that’s what we did today.

“We could have had more goals in the second half, but we didn’t take our chances and their goal is a warning – it’s a nice warning to get though when you’ve already built up a three goal cushion.

“We worked really hard on creating chances in training this week, so to get the three goals and the first home win is really pleasing.”