COLCHESTER UNITED
LAST SEASON
LEAGUE TWO 8th FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Sammie Szmodics (15)
FANFILE DOUG FENNER @archiebunkeruk
The big talking point among the fans is a lack of senior arrivals, given we threw away a nailed-on play-off spot after Christmas, then lost Frankie Kent to Peterborough and saw top scorer Sammie Szmodics join Bristol City. We also need to look at the goalkeeping situation, where we lack experience. There are plenty of gaps in the squad. I won’t be happy unless we make the play-offs – twice we’ve missed out by the smallest of margins, and it’s time we got over the line. However, finishing in the top seven will be the pre-season target for the majority of clubs in League Two, as it’s so tight. Look out for Danny Collinge, a young centre-half we have brought over from Germany. We’ve a Frankie Kent-sized hole to fill, and it needs to be filled by a player who’s comfortable on the ball. The one recommendation for away fans is walk from the station. If you’re driving, use the park and ride because it’s half the price of the club car park. The best away ground is Leyton Orient’s, for the atmosphere rather than facilities. And it’s on Boxing Day. Our key player will be full-back Kane Vincent-young [below, left], a quality 23-year-old who should be playing higher. Elsewhere, we badly missed Harry Pell in midfield in the second half of 2018-19, and Courtney Senior is very inconsistent but far too good for this league when he’s at his best. Our club’s best celebrity fan is Steve Lamacq, often seen in the away end. The player I’d happily drive to another club was Rene Gilmartin but, bizarrely, Bristol City have signed him. The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that John Mcgreal [above] is pretty fortunate to still be in a job after we screwed up last term. Robbie Cowling isn’t a sacking chairman, though, so he isn’t really under much pressure. Mcgreal’s game management and use of substitutes lets him down, and he must be a factor in the side being so poor in the second half of games. I’d like to know what he’s putting in the half-time tea.
We’ll finish somewhere between 6th and 10th.