Football club asks fans to sing for late supporter

Cambridge United supporters have been encouraged to honour a fan who died five years after being attacked by hooligans.

Simon Dobbin was left permanently brain damaged due to the assault, which took place hours after he watched his side play Southend United on 21 March 2015.

Medical tests showed there was a direct link between the 48-year-old's death in October 2020 and the injuries he sustained.

Ahead of their fixture against Barnsley on Saturday, Cambridge United asked supporters to sing "there's only one Simon Dobbin" in the 10th minute.

"He tragically passed away in 2020 after suffering with brain injuries due to the attacks," the club posted on X.

The fixture, played at Barnsley's Oakwell Stadium, is due to kick-off at 15:00 GMT.

Friday marked 10 years since Mr Dobbin, from Mildenhall, Suffolk, was attacked outside The Railway pub in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.

He was among a group of Cambridge fans walking to Prittlewell station, who were set upon by hooligans in a frenzied 90-second assault.

Mr Dobbin was hit and stamped on repeatedly in what a prosecutor branded "a carefully planned ambush".

He was taken to the Royal London Hospital by attending paramedics and stayed in hospital for a year, but was unable to walk or talk again.

Thirteen men were sentenced for their roles in the attack, but Mr Dobbin's death on 21 October 2020 caused police to launch a murder investigation.

Four men - aged in their 30s and 40s - were arrested on suspicion of murder and have remained released under investigation since.

The BBC revealed on Friday that Essex Police handed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service at the end of 2024.

As a result, prosecutors have been considering whether or not to charge at least one of the four men.

Speaking after the court case, Mr Dobbin's widow, Nicole, said she "hates what these violent thugs have done to us".

A police spokesman said: "We remain committed to securing justice for Simon and his family."

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