Three points from our Christmas opener at Accrington Stanley has put Reds in a good mood ahead of another tough encounter on Boxing Day, according to Harry Kewell.
Reds take on Colchester United – another club with play-off aspirations – at the Checkatrade Stadium, kick off 3pm.
The Head Coach said: “Colchester are on a good run and they have some very decent players.
“Every side in this division have individuals that can hurt you, although I like to think we have some as well.
“It should be a decent game and the challenge for the players is to maintain the levels we showed on Saturday.
“You saw the two sides to us, I thought. In the first half the counter-attacking football we played was superb. The 3-0 lead we had at one stage didn’t flatter us.
“Then in the second half we had to dig deep. As a team, not just the defence, we did our jobs.
“If we can keep doing that in the second half of the season we’ll continue to go in the right direction.
“We’ve picked up ten points out of five games which is good, but it’s absolutely crucial that we maintain it if we are to achieve what we want to achieve in the rest of the season.”
Although Jimmy Smith serves the second of his three-game ban, Jordan Roberts will be available.
Reds trained on Christmas Eve before the squad spent Christmas Day with their families.
“They have earned some time with their families with their performances in recent weeks, but I am sure they will be raring to go on Tuesday. When you’ve had a good result you can’t wait to get back out there again.”
There was a nice surprise for Harry when the fans who had made the 500-mile round trip to Accrington on Saturday presented him with a Christmas card.
Harry said: “That was a nice touch which I really appreciate. I would like to pass on my thanks to all those who came up on Saturday and got behind the team.
“It’s a very long way to go two days before Christmas and hopefully they had a great journey back on Saturday night. Their support home and away is really appreciated.
“On behalf of everyone at the club – players and staff – I’d like to wish all our supporters Happy Christmas and we look forward to seeing a good crowd on Boxing Day at the Colchester game.”
