NOAH’S UPBEAT AT U’S FUTURE
IT’S not been smooth sailing for Colchester United this term, but attacking midfielder Noah Chilvers reckons they can build on a new ‘feelgood factor’ under the Cowley brothers to steer clear of danger.
Ben Garner and Matty Etherington both struggled to earn consistent results at the helm this season, leading to the U’s calling on Danny and Nicky Cowley to try to turn the tables early last month.
The brothers have built an excellent reputation through their managerial career which has seen them lead Concord Rangers, Braintree Town, Lincoln City – taking the Imps from the National League to League One – Huddersfield Town and Portsmouth.
Their early results at the Colchester helm have been encouraging. Pre-weekend, they had won one and drawn three of their opening four games. It meant the U’s were 21st heading into the weekend, seven points above the drop zone.
Energy
“They have brought such a contagious energy into the whole building,” said Chilvers, 22, who came through the Essex club’s ranks and has already made more than 150 league appearances.
“They way they speak about football and the detail they go into, it shows that they live and breathe the game. They’ve got such a track record of success and it’s been a real breath of fresh air – they’ve brought a feelgood factor back.”
A sprinkling of new faces – including midfielder Alistair Smith (on loan from Lincoln), winger Harry Anderson, 27, (borrowed from Stevenage) and defender Riley Harbottle, 23, (on loan from Hibernian) – have also boosted the camp ahead
of the run-in. “It’s been nice to get a few players in and it creates competition for places,” said Chilvers. “We’ve got players from higher levels and who’ve had good careers, so it adds to the quality.”
The Chelmsford-born midfielder is determined to play his own part in guiding the U’s away from the threat of losing their coveted EFL spot.
Personal
“For me it’s a lot more personal than other players, having come through the academy and been at Colchester since I was nine or ten,” he explained. “We don’t want to be down there and it’s a case of rolling up our sleeves and getting on with it.
“We have confidence in ourselves that we can turn it around and steer clear of danger, and we have shown it in the last few performances. We are all pulling in the same direction.
“We have to respect the teams below us, but we are looking up, not down. That’s been the direction since the new managers have come in – they want us to think positively.”
On a personal level, Chilvers, who made his firstteam debut almost five years ago, is keen to finish the season on a high note.
“I’ve had an up and down season – some really good performances and some not at the standard I set myself,” he added. “I have a lot of targets I want to achieve in the next 15 or 16 games. It’s a mini-season and I really want to perform well.”