Our latest look at next season’s League Two opponents continues with Colchester United.
Who are ya?
Colchester finished 13th in League Two last season with 62 points.
In Charge
John McGreal became head coach in May 2016 following a brief stint during the 2015-16 as interim manager.
Previously a youth coach with the U’s, McGreal led the club’s Under-18 side to two trophies before stepping up as Under-21 manager. The former defender made over 400 appearances during his time as a player which included spells at Tranmere, Burnley and Ipswich, for whom he played in the UEFA Cup.
Getting down to business
McGreal has spoken about the need to try and get their summer recruitment done as early as possible. “It’s months of work,” he said. “We’re now trying to put all of that together and hopefully we can get them done early. We feel like we’ve got a really strong base to build from and that’s what we’ll be looking to try and do.”
Ins and Outs
Midfielder Tom Lapslie and utility man Brennan Dickenson have both signed new deals with the U’s along with veteran Luke Prosser, who agreed a two-year extension with the club.
Among the new faces signed so far are goalkeeper Ethan Ross, who has signed a two-year deal after being released by West Brom, former Cheltenham midfielder Harry Pell, striker Aaron Collins, who is on a season-long loan from Wolves and defender Noah Chesmain, who has moved to the club from Millwall. Former Brighton goalkeeper Bailey Vose has also joined the U’s.
Past Meetings
Our previous form against Colchester is very good, with five wins, four draws and only two losses against the U’s. The Reds last beat Colchester two seasons ago when Jimmy Smith's hat-trick sealed all three points at the Weston Home Community Stadium.
