FANS of “abandoned” Worcester City have helped to raise more than £1,000 to stage a “hard-hitting” protest at Aggborough on Saturday (3pm).

A series of giant banners — one the width of a basketball court — will be unveiled at Worcester’s match against supporter-owned club FC United of Manchester in a bid to heap pressure on council chiefs.

City have been in exile since 2013 and supporters have chosen the Vanarama National League North fixture to show their frustration at the delays in finding the club a new home in Worcester.

As part of their plans for the day, supporters have got behind a fund-raising drive to create three 18ft by 9ft banners and another one, measuring 50ft by 25ft, which says ‘Worcester City Abandoned by Worcester City Council’.

Rich Eglington, who lives in Newcastle and has been a City fan for about 20 years, launched the campaign after coming up with a number of banner designs for supporters to vote on.

“I am a very passionate City fan and I was very keen to get the message across to the council,” the 35-year-old said.

“There was talk on the message board about creating a banner, so I thought let’s make something happen.

“I put together a poll for everyone on the message board to choose one of six designs which I also took along to the Chorley game and I got a very positive response.”

After setting up a fund-raising page on crowdfunder.co.uk, Eglington, who hails from Malvern, said he was “overwhelmed” by donations as the finished total was four times more than his original target.

“Within 48 hours of the page going live, we smashed through the £300 target and I thought, ‘Wow, there is appetite to get a lot more money together’,” he said.

“I set up a stretch target of £1,200 and went through the flag company to get a few quotes on bigger banners.”

He added: “The response has been overwhelming with all these emails and messages that have come in as people just really want the club to get back home. The staggering thing has not only been the amount of money raised but the passion it has stirred up. I am just hoping it will look good at the game.”

Three Labour councillors have backed the campaign along with Ernest Hawk Chartered Surveyors and Toys and Games of Worcester, who each donated £150.

“I think it is important everyone had their say, so whether it was a case of donating £5 or £10 they will know they have done their bit to get the message across to the council,” Eglington said.

“Having the word abandoned on there is quite hard-hitting and I just want the council to see the fact it means a lot to a lot of people who want the club to be back home.”

City are set to ground-share with Bromsgrove Sporting next season after they leave current landlords Kidderminster Harriers.

It is hoped the FC United game will attract a four-figure crowd and entry prices have been reduced to £10, £5 and £1 for adults, concessions and under 16s respectively.

In response to Worcester’s planned protest, the city council’s new leader Marc Bayliss said: “I understand the passion of Worcester City supporters and I am committed to bringing the club home to the city.

“Work is continuing on the Perdiswell planning application and we are also looking at whether there are other suitable sites in the city for a new stadium.”