Up the Us
by CO88LER5Original Post
Kids Promoted
Colchester United have gone some way towards filling the gaps left by the departures by promoting two academy players.
Edward Forster, 16, has been promoted to the goalkeeping department. The English youngster has been impressing in academy matches, and in training, and is expected to push Tom Smith for the backup slot to Ned Labrovic.
“Edward has a good future ahead of him,” said Danny Cowley. “He’s a good shot-stopper and very alert to what’s developing in front of him.”
Centre-back Borja Giraldo, 18, was amongst the first players recruited by Danny Cowley’s youth scouts, and will effectively replace the departed Tom Dallison. The Mexican was also an early signing.
“Borja is being called up a little earlier than we would like, but needs must,” said Danny Cowley. “He is ready, though, based on his under-21 performances.
“We have a lot more where these boys came from, on the development path. I’d like to hold some of them back at this stage, though, as a season second-half promotion push is really quite intense. In an ideal world, we’ll see quite a few appear in the squad next summer.”
[Editor's note: I don't normally call up a player until his OVR is 60 or more, but this is something I can't avoid this time.]
Progress in the FA Cup and a Hat-Trick
The U’s despatched bottom of league 1 side Stevenage in the FA Cup 3rd round. Goals from Edwards, Chilvers and Tovide turned the tie around, after Stevenage scored in only the 5th minute. The club’s reward for that victory is a 4th round tie at premier league Nottingham Forest.
Colchester also progressed in the BSM Trophy, defeating Barrow 2-0, representing the furthest they have ever gone in this competition.
In the league, away wins against Stockport and Swindon kept the U’s at the top of the table. At Edgeley Park, Samson Tovide hit a hat-trick to further burnish his growing reputation.
So, at the end of January, the U’s have a narrow lead over Wrexham, with the rest of the division slipping way behind these two searing pace-setters.
In the scoring chart, Samson Tovide enjoys a 2-goal lead over Crawley’s Danilo Orsi, whilst Colchester players are beginning to annexe the leadership of the assists chart, with Chilvers and Petersen fighting it out over top spot.
Dean Breaks U’s Transfer Record
Colchester United have announced their first, and possibly only, signing of the January window, and it’s a big one.
Striker Max Dean (19) has been signed from MK Dons for a fee rumoured to be around £600,000, plus defensive midfielder Gene Kennedy (21). The transfer fee paid breaks Colchester’s previous purchase record, when they signed striker Steven Gillespie from Cheltenham Town in the summer of 2008, paying £400,000 at the time. He is some way from being Colchester’s record transfer deal, when they sold Greg Halford to then-Premier League club Reading for £2.5 million in January 2007.
“Max is a really good young prospect and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do for us,” said Manager Danny Cowley. “He’ll also push Samson (Tovide) and Conor (Wilkinson) on to greater things, I think, so it's going to be like signing three strikers.”
When asked about his record price tag, Dean seemed remarkably relaxed. “I didn’t know that, but it’s not my thing to get excited, or fazed, by such things. In any case, I guess inflation means that I’m probably not as expensive as Steven was. I’m just here to play, score and help this club have success.”
Kennedy was finding it difficult to get into the first team on a regular basis. “It’s a good move for Gene. He had too much competition here from Marcel Ruiz and Eddy Addo, and so he’ll get more playing time at Dons, I’m sure,” said Cowley.
“We aren’t likely to do much more business in this window. We have a squad capable of meeting the challenges ahead and I want to reserve our money for next summer.” Cowley added.
U’s in 5th Round of the FA Cup
For the first time since 2003-4, the U’s have reached the 5th round of the FA Cup – one step away from the quarter-finals, which they only ever achieved once in the same year that they beat the all-conquering Leeds United (1970-71).
A totally unexpected victory against a struggling Premier League Nottingham Forest included a memorable second hat-trick this month from Samson Tovide. The U’s were 3-0 up at half-time from two of Tovide’s goals which bracketed a strike from Olav Petersen, then Tovide made it 4-0 almost from the kick-off for the second half. A 74th minute strike from Giovanni Reyna threatened a comeback, but it didn’t materialise, as the U’s celebrated their best run in the cup for 20 years.
Tovide scores his Third
“We had no answer”, said Forest’s manager Steve Cooper. “I put out a decent side which should have won, but these guys are high-energy and relentless. Fair play to them.”
In the other two matches, the U’s plotted a route through to the BSM Trophy semi-finals with a win over Swindon, only 3 days after drawing with them, and a crushing victory at the Racecourse Ground, against arch-rivals Wrexham. Max Dean scored his first and second goals for the club, as the U’s ran riot.
“We’ve had a good series of cup runs this season,” said manager Danny Cowley. “Hopefully, the extra games won’t tell on us later, but the whole club and city are enjoying the excitement.
The U’s have an East Anglian derby against Norwich in the 5th Round of the FA Cup. Should be a fascinating match-up.
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