County go in search of a first ever league double over Colchester United this weekend, as we look to get back to winning ways in League Two.
Tuesday night’s stalemate at home to Gillingham made it three games without a win or a goal for Dave Challinor’s side, although a point did take us back above Salford City into sixth place. The gap to the top three is now four points, although the sides above us all have at least one game in hand, whilst we are a point clear of Mansfield Town who sit just outside the play-off places.
Win, and County could climb as high as fourth should over results go our way, with Bradford travelling to Newport and Northampton playing away at Hartlepool. Defeat, however, could see us drop out of the play-off places for the first time since January, with Salford, Mansfield and in-form Sutton all breathing down our necks.
Colchester meanwhile were last in action a week ago, as two stoppage-time goals consigned them to defeat away at Bradford, a third straight loss without scoring. That result leaves them lingering down in 20th place, but still with a healthy nine-point gap between themselves and the bottom two.
Since we last met:
It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster season so far for Colchester, who have twice changed manager since defeat at Edgeley Park in August, albeit under very different circumstances.
The U’s failed to muster a single shot on target in the reverse fixture at EP, as Kyle Wootton’s first County goal in the second-half secured us our first win back in the Football League.
It left Colchester with just one point from their opening three league games, and although they did beat Bradford City just a few days later, that remained their only win in their opening nine games – losing five times.
It was a run that forced the club into action, leading to the dismissal of Head Coach Wayne Brown. The 45-year-old had been appointed as interim manager in January 2022, leading them away from the relegation zone to finish 15th last season after winning seven of their final 12 games. He was given the job permanently in the summer, but left with the side sat fourth from bottom in League Two.
His replacement came in the form of Wycombe first-team coach Matt Bloomfield, the former midfielder’s first managerial role seven months after being forced to retire through injury.
A 19-year association with rivals Wycombe as a player and coach left the 38-year-old with work to do to win over his new fanbase, and a shaky start to life in charge saw him win only one of his first eight league games in charge – a run that left them rooted to the bottom of the table.
A couple of important wins did see them finish 2022 just outside of the bottom two, but they entered 2023 very much in a relegation scrap with the prospect of a return to non-league for the first time since 1992 hanging over them.
It turned out to be case of new year, new Colchester however, as Bloomfield’s side won three games on the bounce at the start of January and would go on to lose just one of their first eight games in 2023. A 1-0 win at Grimsby Town in February made it five away wins in a row for the Essex side as they moved into 16th, ten points clear of the relegation zone.
Having really started to endear himself to the Colchester supporters, their progress was soon halted by the dramatic news that Wycombe had come calling for their former captain, after their long-serving manager Gareth Ainsworth had left to join QPR. It was an offer too good to turn down for the Chairboys legend, and he left the club after just five months in charge – leaving Colchester to look for their third manager of the season.
They turned in the end to Ben Garner, who joined the club just three months after being sacked by League One Charlton Athletic. The 42-year-old was in charge of the Addicks for our FA Cup second round tie at the Valley, which we drew 2-2, before being dismissed two days before the replay at Edgeley Park which we went on to win 3-1.
Garner was in the stands for their defeat at Bradford last time out, meaning the game on Saturday will be his first in charge of his new club. He will be looking to arrest a slide that has seen The U’s go four games without a goal, as they look to confirm their survival as soon as possible.
One to watch:
The goals have been shared around this Colchester team so far this season, with no player managing more than four goals in the league so far this season. One bright spark this season for the side has been the continued progression of young defender Junior Tchamedeu.
The right-back became Colchester’s youngest ever starting debutant in 2020, at the age of just 16 years and 349 days old. Now 19, he has been a key player for The U’s this season, appearing in 31 of their 35 league games this season, and is also their joint-top scorer with four – three of them coming over a five-game period in December and January.
He loves a yellow card too – having just returned from a two-match suspension after picking up his tenth booking of the season last month.
Match Stats:
- Victory in the game at Edgeley Park in August ended an 11-game winless run for County against Colchester – with eight defeats over that period. Our last away win against The U’s came in January 1990, David Frain’s goal securing a 1-0 win for Danny Bergara’s side.
- The U’s have definitely been a bogey side for County over the years, as we have won just nine of the previous 47 encounters, losing on 23 occasions.
- County haven’t gone four games without a goal since February 2021, when we failed to find the net against Aldershot, Maidenhead, Eastleigh and Notts County in the National League.
- Ben Hinchliffe’s clean-sheet on Saturday was his 12th in 24 league games this season. Of goalkeepers to have played ten or more games, only Leyton Orient’s Lawrence Vigeroux (57.1%) has a higher clean-sheet percentage in League Two this season.
