IT is a rarity in football – when a team playing away is applauded by the home fans at the final whistle.

Sir Bob Russell describes five occasions when it happened to Colchester United.

THE recent article in Gazette Sport about when future England international Peter Crouch played at Layer Road has triggered my memory for a later occasion when he played against the U’s, prompting one of only five occasions where I am aware that as the away team the U’s were applauded from the pitch by the home fans.

I witnessed three of them.

It is very rare that a home crowd gives a standing ovation to a visiting side.

The first occasion for me with the U’s was on March 6, 1971, at Goodison Park, in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup when division four side Colchester United were defeated by top flight Everton with an unjustified score-line of 5-0 (3-1 would have been a fairer reflection).

At the final whistle, the home fans stood and applauded the U’s – who, in the previous round let it not be forgotten, had beaten the then mighty Leeds 3-2 at Layer Road.

The next time I witnessed this was at Fratton Park, on August 21 2001, with the U’s securing a 2-1 League Cup victory over a Portsmouth side who included their newly-signed rising star Peter Crouch who got the Pompey goal.

But what is an abiding memory of that victory over a higher-league side on their own ground was the sporting behaviour of the Pompey fans who applauded the U’s off the pitch – manager Steve Whitton directing the U’s players (who no doubt were somewhat taken aback at such a unusual moment at a football match) to walk towards them to receive the applause.

I was at Yeovil when the U’s got the single point they needed on May 6, 2006 to secure promotion to the Championship.

At the final whistle, Yeovil fans (who had for 90 minutes been cheering their side) then joined the applause as the U’s players celebrated promotion in front of the travelling jubilant U’s supporters.

Sadly, I did not witness an earlier occasion when a visiting U’s team received such acclaim from the home fans although I do recall reading about it in a report by the Gazette’s then U’s football reporter Francis Ponder who has kindly recalled what happened when the U’s played at the Memorial Ground, home of Bristol Rovers, on December 11 1999.

He told me: “Rovers won the match 2-1, but Lua Lua, who came on as a second-half substitute, ran the Pirates ragged so much the home fans named him as their man of the match.”

He scored the U’s goal in the 66th minute.

To my mind Lomana Tresor Lua Lua, who I saw make his debut away to Chesterfield on January 9 1999, is the most gifted footballer who ever played for the U’s – and later obtained what at the time was a record transfer sale for the U’s, a £2.25 million move to Newcastle United in September 2000.

With 19 minutes to go, the hitherto unknown Lua Lua came on as a substitute at Chesterfield’s old ground at Saltergate – and within four minutes had scored in front of the travelling U’s fans!

His appearance seemed to lift every U’s player, although the U’s still lost.

Returning to my sister-in-law’s home, about five miles from Chesterfield, we were listening to the local BBC radio station when the Chesterfield captain was interviewed.

I remember him saying: “I don’t know who that was they brought on, but I’m glad he didn’t play for the whole match!”

I am grateful to Francis Ponder and Graeson Laitt, ace statistician for matters relating to Colchester United, for assisting me in my latest trip down the U’s memory lane.

Peter Crouch played against the U’s three times, all of them in the League Cup, with the only fixture at Layer Road being on August 23, 2000 when Queens Park Rangers won 1-0 in the first round, first leg.

The second leg in London produced a sensational result, with the U’s winning 4-1 thanks to a stunning hat-trick from Lua Lua – resulting in the fifth occasion the home fans applauded a U’s team from the pitch……and the second time in no small part due to Lua Lua.

Graeson Laitt recalls: “Those remaining at Loftus Road in the home stands also applauded the U’s – and Lua Lua especially – off the pitch after our win there.

"It remains the greatest hat-trick I’ve seen live.”

The next month Lua Lua joined Newcastle.

Can you add any more away games to the five listed by Sir Bob where the home fans applauded the visiting U’s at the final whistle?

Email jonathan.waldron@newsquest.co.uk with your memories.