Just call me 'Rent a play-off' said Colchester United's larger-than-life goalkeeper Andy Woodman.

"I've taken almost every club I've been with into the promotion play-offs and now I'd love to do it again with Colchester," said the tall, 29-year-old athletic former Crystal Palace, Exeter, Northampton, Brentford and Southend keeper.

Woody, as he is affectionately known by his Layer Road team-mates, is well on the way to achieving his goal having already kept five clean sheets in just seven League outings since first joining the U's on loan back in mid-November.

His immediate future is now secured by a permanant, lengthy contract.

Woody said: "Crystal Palace went to the play-offs when I was with them and I went to Wembley twice, in consecutive years, with Northampton Town.

"It's a wonderful experience and having also won a Third Division championship winners medal with Brentford last season I want to taste some more of it.

"I came to Colchester to better myself and hopefully go on to play in a higher division. I feel now that I am in my prime.

"I just look forward to playing every day," he said, and not even a daily three-hour train journey from his west London home to training can dampen his spirits.

Woody said: "Colchester is such a friendly club and everyone from the chairman, manager and the cleaning lady has made me feel so welcome.

"Ironically, when I first arrived as cover for the injured Simon Brown the manager made it very clear to me that he wasn't looking to sign another keeper permanantly.

"No other manager has ever been so brutally honest with me. I appreciated that, but a deal to take me to Southend had just fallen through so I took it on the chin.

"From that moment I set about the business of playing well to make it very hard for the club not to sign me.

"Colchester's interest came right out of the blue and although I was also linked with a couple of other clubs I arrived with a lot to offer the club and a vast amount of experience in Division Two.

"I really enjoy the game and I love to play with a smile on my face. The lads at Colchester have made that easy for me, especially Scott Fitzgerald and Alan White when I first turned out."

Not even the 6-1 Boxing Day drubbing by current Second Division leaders Millwall at the New Den - Woody's worst result ever - has dented his confidence.

But it hasn't always been like that. He was on the point of packing up professional football altogether only six years ago, ironically after being sent-off while playing for Exeter City against the U's in a 2-1 FA Cup defeat.

"That was both the lowest point and the turning point of my career," he said.

Playing at Exeter was a real culture shock after the Palace and that sending-off was my second in successive matches. I just wanted to get away from it all.

"Thankfully my move to Northampton changed all that and although I enjoyed my spells with Southend and Brentford, the Cobblers fans quickly became my family.

"I always played well whenever I came to Colchester and the Layer Road fans always gave me plenty of stick, but those same fans are my new family now and I'm really looking forward to the game at Northampton later in the season.

"I get a real buzz out of playing under pressure, there's nothing like it. I love to be in the thick of the action!"

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.