IN A demonstration of co-operation, the meeting between all the Town directors and representatives of the Supporters Association reached agreement for Town fans to have access to the South Stand at the next home match against Colchester a week on Saturday.

This was subject to the approval of the ground’s Safety Team, but the HTSA are delighted to announce that this has now been granted.

The main objective, fully documented and presented by James Fryer and Paul Stead, is to enhance support for the team using the acoustic benefits of the South Stand.

Chairman Dean Hoyle has commented previously that such support can be like a 12th man for the side.

HTSA reps recognise that splitting the South Stand between home and away fans can incur additional policing and stewarding costs and therefore agreed that it was reasonable to ask Town season ticket holders to pay a small premium of £1 to transfer.

At this price it could still cost the club money, however in a very welcome gesture, the chairman acknowledged that he would meet the shortfall for this game, as a trial, to give fans a chance to demonstrate the demand.

The club agreed to make arrangements as simple as possible by allowing such transfers to be made at the gate on the day and also to allow non-season-ticket walk-up fans to pay at the gate as well, at prices equivalent to the Fantastic Media Stand.

These arrangements are to be regarded as a trial with a view to repeating them for other matches this season, so it’s critically important that we get as much support as possible (up to the maximum of 1,500 available) and it’s also equally important that behaviour is first-class, with no crowd trouble.

This will also help to reduce the additional policing and stewarding costs at future games.

After all the hard work in convincing the club there is demand, coupled with the financial subsidy provided by Dean and the support of the directors in getting safety approval, it is now up to fans to show their faith is well placed. We have to make it work!

Before the Colchester match, of course, we have two more away trips and there are still spaces available on the HTSA coaches to Walsall this Saturday and Carlisle the following Tuesday. Departure times are 11am (not 10am as announced last week) and 4pm respectively.

Please call Sally on 07926 165863 or email travel@htsa.co.uk to book.

But we finish with a call to Town fans to add that extra ‘S’ factor to our Support a week on Saturday by filling our allocation in the South Stand. We might even call it the ‘Triple S’ factor!