Colchester United began a new chapter in 2008 when they finished life at Layer Road and moved to the new Community Stadium in the north of the town.

More than ever, there is a hunger for information of what came before the switch to the 10,000 all-seater stadium and, thanks to fan and author Jeff Whitehead, we can now give you the lowdown on the story so far.

Jeff's work originally appeared in the special matchday magazine for the game against Stoke City in April 2008, which brought down the curtain on 70 years of history at Layer Road.

With Jeff's kind permission, we can now replicate the story here.