A GROUP of U’s fans wants to bring the banners, balloons and displays of continental football to Colchester.

Supporter Jon Palmer and friends are raising money to decorate the Community Stadium with a huge flag of the club crest plus banners depicting popular players, past and present.

The aim is to inspire the club to new heights on the pitch in the same way as fanatical Italian supporters, known as Ultras, do over there.

Jon, 20, said: “We’re looking to the Ultras for inspiration. People think these groups are violent, but they are not.

“It’s about the visual and vocal element of support. We’re never going to recreate the atmosphere of the Milan derby at the San Siro, but we want to go in that direction.

“We want to make the ground special, feel a bit more like home and try and recreate the Layer Road atmosphere.”

More than £500 has already been raised towards the £2,000 needed to buy banners, depicting U’s heroes from the past and present such as Bobby Hunt, who scored 37 League goals in the 19621-1962 season, African international Lomana Lua Lua, who played for the club between 1998 and 200 and current defender Pat Baldwin.

Jon said: “We’ve got that money, just from a dozen or so fans putting their hands in their pockets. We’re going to be shaking buckets at the Hartlepool game.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get the banners printed up fairly soon and make a big effort at a game to unveil them.”

Jon, a student at Essex University, plays a drum in the south stand band, set up at the start of the season with instruments paid for by the players.

“Last season, everyone realised the atmosphere was a bit flat at the ground, so the club and fans have come together to do something about it,” he added. “The atmosphere is getting better and we hope this’ll just gee the team up a bit more.”

Club spokesman David Gregory said: “Anything the fans can come up with to boost atmosphere and get people behind Aidy and the team is something we applaud.”