Up the Us

[JustinCase0110]

Funny coincidence to see both 4-1 away wins (Stockport County and Nottingham Forest) coming to life with a Tovide hattrick. A man for the big occasion! Impressively followed by a 5-0 win at Wrexham... Hmm... Three big away wins there. Are you better away from home?

[CO88LER5]

@JustinCase0110
It's about even, to be fair.
Tovide is a talisman, I think.

[CO88LER5]

Thrilling Draw Against Newport

The U’s home match against Newport County saw an eight-goal thriller, as the two sides traded blows, including another Samson Tovide hat-trick.  Newport took the lead through Charsley on 23 minutes, only to go into the break 2-1 down after Tovide struck twice.  Charsley pulled them level again before Tovide completed his hat-trick, and then Olav Petersen seemed to make the points safe at 4-2, but a late comeback by County saw the match finish level.

“It’s unusual for us to do that,” said manager Danny Cowley.  “We’ll have to worn on concentration this week.”

Apart from that, two fairly routine league wins, against Harrogate Town and Mansfield Town, saw the U’s keep pace with Wrexham at the top.

[CO88LER5]

Ezra Fox Promoted

Striker Ezra Fox (17) has been promoted to the first team squad.

The young Englishman is the latest of the academy conveyor belt to make it into the first team.

“Ezra is a real prospect and, despite what I previously said about holding academy players back until the end of the season, he needed to come into the fold now.  We think he’ll get a few goals in the remainder of the season, and that’s a real plus.”

“I am excited to make the step up,” said the youngster.  “I want to help the team do well and hopefully get promotion this year.”

There are a number of other players who could well make the transition, making for an exciting 2024-25 season, if their performances in the academy leagues is anything to go by, finally realising the dreams of the owner, who has made it his mission to develop the U’s own talent for several years now.

[CO88LER5]

Cup Exit and Cup Progress

The U’s finally left the FA Cup in the 5th round, falling to a 2-1 defeat at home to Championship Norwich City after extra time.  Olav Petersen actually put the U’s in front, before the Canaries equalised before half time.  No further goals in the second half meant extra time, and the U’s simply ran out of steam.  Armstrong settled it for Norwich in the 104th minute.

Prior to that, the U’s reached the final of the BSM Trophy with a good 3-1 victory at League 1 Reading; the first time they have reached a final for one of the ‘league’ cups.  Their only previous cup final was the FA Trophy, the non-league equivalent of the FA Cup, which they won at the time.  Bradley Ihionvien scored the goal of the game, shooting from just inside the U’s half in the 93rd minute, as Reading’s goalie had come up from a corner which was cleared to the striker.

In between, the U’s beat Grimsby Town 4-3 to keep the pressure on Wrexham at the top of the table.  The U’s are 2 points behind with 2 games in hand – a consequence of their progress in every cup competition this season.

Samson Tovide continues to lead the League 2 scoring chart, 5 clear of Crawley’s Orsi, as we head towards the end of the season.  It’s been a fine year for the young striker.

[CO88LER5]

League Progress

The U’s took 7 points from the next three games, with away wins over Gillingham and Crewe and a home draw against Notts County.

Satoshi Takahashi opened the scoring against the Gills to maintain his fine scoring form.  Danny Cowley has started playing him on the left, from where he can cut in more, and the youngster seems to have got the message. 

Takahashi scores against the Gills

Max Dean added to his tally to complete the scoring at the Priestfield Stadium, making it 6 goals in all competitions since the striker arrived in January.

The match against Notts County was harder, with possession 50/50 and the oldest professional club in the world never giving up.  Samson Tovide thought he’d won it in the 80th minute, but Robertson scored in the last minute to send County home with a point.

Ruiz celebrates his goal

Crewe outplayed the U’s at the Mornflake Stadium, but an early goal from Bradley Ihionvien ensured that the U’s went home with all three points to keep pressure on Wrexham at the top of the table.

[JustinCase0110]

20 shots in one game, that's pretty impressive. Don't recall ever making so many shots myself. I know it was a 120 minute-game, but still, that's pretty massive.

Nice to see Ihonvien successfully scoring from his own half. I find it hard to pull these off and take advantage of the keepers sometimes being too eager to go up on corners late in games. So I rarely manage to take advantage, but do enjoy when others do. Well done.

Let's see. 10 games left, and you've got 85 points now. Wimbledon in 4th will have a maximum of 64 points by now, so with your goal difference it will only take a maximum of three wins to secure the automatic promotion. Can't be stopped now.

[CO88LER5]

Cup History for U’s and Promotion Secured

It may only be the BSM Trophy, but Colchester United created history by winning their first ever league-based knockout trophy, when they beat Bolton Wanderers 4-1 at Wembley.  Their only other trophy was the non-league FA Trophy, won in 1992 when they also secured promotion back to the football league as Champions of what was then the Football Conference.

At Wembley, the U’s scored first via Samson Tovide, before the higher-division Bolton equalised on half time.  The early stages of the second half were a massive fight between the two teams, before Marcel Ruiz put the U’s ahead on 70 minutes, after which Colchester ran away with it.

“What a fabulous day for the players, club and fans.” Said manager Danny Cowley.  “We’ve worked hard to make this happen and it’s a bit of real history for the club – something we’ll remember always.”

Colchester also secured promotion to League 1, as did “Hollywood Wrexham”, with the latter securing back-to-back promotions.  Tranmere Rovers currently occupy 4th place and cannot get to the U’s total even if they win all their matches and the U’s lose all theirs.  Colchester stay in second place, only 1 point behind Wrexham with two matches in hand.  The title is certainly a strong possibility as we move into April.

[JustinCase0110]

Congratulations with the trophy. 4-1 at Wembley, that's quite a margin against a side from a superior league. Certainly looks like you're ready for a move up. You can even advance as league winners, if you win the games you have in hand. Good luck in the last few months of the season.

[CO88LER5]

Academy Players Shine in the FA Youth Cup

Colchester United’s young players took the club the furthest they have ever been in the FA Youth Cup, when they lost 4-2 to Chelsea under-18s in the Quarter Final.  The U’s had never been that far in the competition before, their previous best finish being in the round before the quarter finals in 2018 and 2005.  The achievement underlines the progress being made in the youth development at the club, with a number of fine performances by players expected to move up into the first-team squad this summer. 

The U’s goals were scored by Xisco Aguilar (left) and Fabian Louis, both 16 and strikers and both of whom are stand-out prospects for promotion.  Other notable performances came from midfielder Felipe Gonzalez (16) on the left, and attacking midfielder Ryan Norton (17) and, whilst the defence shipped 4 goals, it is clear that manager Danny Cowley could easily be promoting goalkeeper Arthur Gardiner (17; soon to be 18) and a couple of defenders.

Given that the U’s will be moving up a level next season and therefore the matches will be that much harder, it will be interesting to see how and when the manager brings the players in but, as Sir Matt Busby once said “If they’re good enough, they’re old enough.”

“We have really moved our academy up a level this season,” said Cowley.  “Some of these players have been picked up from bigger clubs who have decided to move them on, but we feel they have a real chance at our level, and they have the character and ability to prove their previous clubs wrong.”

Season 2024-25 could well prove to be an exciting one for Col U fans.