Colchester United legend Karl Duguid has picked his all-time Colchester United best XI

The former U's skipper and promotion winner, who played more than 400 games for the club after progressing through their youth ranks, has made his selection as part of the Daily Gazette's U's Legends celebration, which marks 80 years of Colchester United.

This was a really tough choice.

There are so many great players I’ve had to leave out.

Steve McGavin, Kem Izzet, Lomana LuaLua, Dean Gerken, Simon Betts, Aaron Skelton and Chris Iwelumo are all names that spring to mind and there are many more.

I’m sure people will say ‘how can you not put LuaLua in there?’ but there are so many other fantastic players to choose from.

My goalkeeper would be AIDAN DAVISON.

He was a great character - and mad as a hatter.

He had many great games but the one that stands out for me is our 1-1 draw at Luton, in our first season in the Championship.

I think had we lost by ten that night we couldn’t have had any complaints but Aidan was absolutely fantastic.

He was the older statesman of that team, a great leader and played a massive part in us winning promotion.

At right-back is GREG HALFORD.

Greg could have been whatever he wanted to be and I don’t think he’s really fulfilled the massive potential that we all saw he had.

He could have been a good Premier League player for many seasons but for whatever reason, it didn’t quite happen for him at that level.

He had so many attributes – he was of good build, athletic, great in the air, long throw and he was versatile enough to play anywhere and do well.

When I played against him for Plymouth Argyle later in my career when he was at Sheffield United, he was playing up front.

JOE KEITH is my left-back.

Joe’s a great lad – when he first came to us from West Ham he played as a left wing-back and I played at right wing-back.

He had a lovely left foot and had all of the attributes to go on and do more.

Joe went on to get promoted at Leyton Orient and he was a good player for Colchester.

My centre-back is WAYNE BROWN.

What a guy; Wayne played a big part in us winning promotion and was excellent in our first year in the Championship.

He was a real leader, a strong man on and off the pitch and went on to play in the Premier League.

I used to room with him and he was a very funny character – he was a serious guy but he was also one of the lads.

Wayne was a great professional and had a great playing career and is now doing well in coaching at Colchester.

My other centre-half is TONY McCARTHY.

I loved Macca as a kid. He played at centre-back with Pete Cawley and he was so cool and calm in the way that he did things.

He was also a right laugh and a character.

In central midfield, I’ve gone for KEVIN WATSON.

I don’t think he was ever replaced when he left and he was a fantastic player for Colchester United.

He very rarely gave the ball away, with Kemi Izzet running around winning the ball for him and he just kept it moving but he did it so well.

He got a number of assists and was great from set plays.

Alongside Watto in my central midfield is MARK KINSELLA.

I was in the youth team at Colchester when he was playing in the first team and he was another player who went on to play in the Premier League and also in World Cups.

He was a creative player who scored great goals and was also very competitive and once again, another great character.

He’s a good guy and I enjoyed working him with him in a coaching capacity when he came back as Joe Dunne’s assistant manager.

On the left of my midfield is PAUL ABRAHAMS.

Abs was another one I looked up to when I was in the youth ranks.

He used to come and speak to the youth-team players all of the time and he was the one who I wanted to be like.

He was the icon at the club, because he was the local boy.

Abs got us to Wembley with the famous golden goal against Peterborough which took us to the Football League Trophy Final, in 1997.

He was also a member of the team that went up, the following year.

He’s become a good friend of mine over the years and I spoke to him when I got the Stanway Rovers job.

On the right of my midfield is RICHARD GARCIA.

He was a fantastic, aggressive player and was an angry man, on and off the pitch!

He scored some great goals and he really could have played anywhere in the side.

He played a major part in helping us get promoted in 2006 and then helping us to get our highest-ever position, the following season.

He went on to play in the Premier League and he’s still playing now in the A League, in Australia.

Up front, I’ve gone for JAMIE CURETON and I probably only need to say one word to go with that – goals.

When he played, I never saw him miss a chance.

Those hat-tricks he scored in our first Championship season against Derby County and Southend United stand out.

He scored a lot of different goals – there were lobs, chips, tap-ins and roll-ins, everything.

Curo was another great lad to have around; a fantastic character and a great person to have around the dressing room.

Alongside Curo, I’ve gone for CRAIG FAGAN.

He had everything and he was another angry man, which I liked about him.

Fags was strong, good in the air, could play up front or out wide and scored goals.

I don’t think he got the credit that he deserved when he was at Colchester and he was another player who went on to play in the Premier League.

In charge of my team would be GERAINT WILLIAMS.

It was a tough one to choose – Phil Parkinson was fantastic for us and got us promotion but for me personally, Geraint took us and the football club to another level.

It didn’t quite go for him after that first season but I still don’t think he got the kind of credit he deserved for what he achieved, with Mick Harford.

Those two complemented each other so well and Mick was fantastic and a great go-between with the lads.

In that first Championship season, the lads ran the changing room - Geraint made us all believe what we could achieve through hard work and wanting to achieve it.

He was a fantastic coach, too and I think he’s shown that, going onto to do well at international level with Wales under-21s.

He helped me personally play at a higher level and as well as being a great manager, he was an honest, nice guy.

He took great pride in seeing so many players go on and do well and go on to bigger things.

When I was asked for my all-time Colchester United best XI, I was going to just go with the team that played in the first season in the Championship, as there are lots of players I’d go for there.

It was a fantastic team – they secured the highest-ever finish the club has ever achieved and I think probably the best team in the club’s history and the best side that I played in, during my career.

It took Colchester United to heights that they had never reached before.”

Karl Duguid’s Colchester United Championship team: Davison, Halford, Baldwin, Brown, Barker, Garcia, Watson, Izzet, Duguid, Cureton, Iwelumo.

We want you to pick the top all-time XI to play for the U’s and the club’s best ever manager.

Submit your team online, by post or on email by April 14.

A panel of experts, including our Colchester United reporter Jonathan

Waldron will whittle them down to a shortlist.

Fans will then be invited to vote for the best XI.

Voting will be available at online, via email and by post.

You will be able to cast your votes from April 17 to April 30.

The team, including three subs and a manager, will be revealed in the Gazette on Friday, May 5.

Please submit a goalkeeper, right back, left back, two centre backs, left winger, right winger, two centre midfielders, two strikers and a manager.

Fill in, cut out and send your form to U’s Legends, Colchester Daily Gazette, Unit 1 Brunel Court, Brunel Way, Colchester, CO4 9XP.

Alternatively, email us at gazettenews@nqe.com with your best XI or submit your team at gazette-news.co.uk