Colchester United Player Profiles from the Daily Gazette: all CUFC players for the 2009/2010 season

3. Lee Beevers
Defender

27. Matt Lockwood
Defender

Name

Williams joined Colchester United in the summer from their Coca-Cola League One rivals, Carlisle United.
The 26-year-old former Manchester United trainee signed a two-year contract for the U's.
Williams has played more than 200 games in his career and has also had loan spells at Coventry City , Chesterfield and Crewe Alexandra.

Former Leeds United defender Maybury joined Colchester United midway through last season.
The Republic of Ireland international was a free agent having left Leicester City and was a near ever-present in Paul Lambert's side in the second half of the previous campaign.
Maybury, 31, will battle it out with John White and Lee Beevers for the right-back spot at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Beevers was one of a number of summer signings made by Colchester United manager Paul Lambert.
The versatile defender - who can play anywhere across the back four and also from midfield - joined the U's from Lincoln City.
Colchester beat off competition from Scottish Premier League outfit Motherwell to sign former Ipswich Town youngster Beevers.

A tribunal ruled that Colchester United should pay Dagenham and Redbridge £45,000 to secure the services of the young defender.
Powerful and strong, Okuonghae attracted the attention of a number of clubs last season with his performances for the Daggers, in Coca-Cola League Two.
Okuonghae, 21, has also had spells at Rushden and Diamonds, Aldershot, St Albans, Crawley Town and Weymouth .

A former U's player-of-the-year, Baldwin signed a new year three-year deal this summer to tie him to Colchester until 2012.
The popular former Chelsea trainee - who joined Colchester in the 2002-03 season - was a regular in manager Paul Lambert's side last season.
He is now Colchester 's second longest-serving player behind Kem Izzet and will be hoping to be a regular in central defence this season.
Baldwin skippered the U's in Aidy Boothroyd's first game in charge, the goal-less draw at Southampton in September.

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers trainee Vincent made a permanent switch to Colchester United in the summer.
The pacy winger, who can also play in attack, had initially arrived at the U's on loan from Cheltenham Town last season.
The 24-year-old made a positive impression, persuading former U's boss Paul Lambert to offer Vincent a full-time deal.

This is Platt's third season with the U's, following his arrival for a then club record fee from MK Dons, in 2007.
The lofty striker has already rekindled his profitable partnership with Kevin Lisbie, which was so effective in the Championship during the 2007-08 season.
The 31-year-old has also played for the likes of Peterborough , Walsall, Rochdale and Notts County in a professional career spanning more than 15 years.

Izzet is Colchester United's longest-serving player.
The tenacious midfielder, who joined the U's from Charlton Athletic in 2001, has clocked up more than 300 league appearances for the club.
Izzet, 28, has played under the likes of Steve Whitton, Phil Parkinson and Geraint Williams during his time with the U's, and was a regular performer during their two-year spell in the Championship.

Hackney arrived from Carlisle United in the January transfer window for an undisclosed fee.
The 25-year-old is looking for goals this season for Colchester United and along with Vincent, will be charged with the duty of providing the ammunition for the likes of Clive Platt and Kevin Lisbie.
Hackney was spotted by Carlisle playing for non-league outfit, Woodley Sports.

Cousins emerged through the youth ranks at Colchester , initially providing competition for Dean Gerken.
He will now challenge Ben Williams for the goalkeeper's jersey at Colchester .
The Chelmsford-born keeper was handed his first league start against Walsall in November, 2008 and featured in each of the U's Johnstone's Paint Trophy matches last season.
Cousins made his first-ever league appearance for the U's in August 2007 when he replaced Gerken between the sticks in the 2-2 draw with Barnsley at Layer Road .

A cultured midfielder, Colchester are hoping that summer signing Fox will step into the shoes vacated by former midfield surpremo, Kevin Watson.
Fox, a former Manchester United trainee, joined the U's from Championship side Blackpool in the summer.
The 25-year-old has a wide range of passing and will be looking to unlock League One defences this season.

Frenchman Thomas signed for Colchester from Hamilton Academical in the summer for a fee of £125,000.
The 22-year-old ex-Bordeaux striker penned a three-year contract with the U's.
The tall striker will be hoping to challenge the likes of Kevin Lisbie, Clive Platt and Scott Vernon for a place in the Colchester attack this season.

Perkins' infectious style and busy demeanour caught former manager Geraint Williams' eye last summer, prompting him to sign the midfielder from Rochdale .
The 26-year-old's career has been on an upward curve since he made his debut for Morecambe in 2000 in the Conference.
He helped the Shrimpers win promotion to the League and has now carved a reputation for himself as a competent Football League player.
Perkins was a regular in the Colchester side last season under former boss Paul Lambert but handed in a transfer request in August, 2009.

Having become Colchester United's record signing in the summer after joining them for a fee of more than £400,000 from Cheltenham Town , Gillespie has experienced a difficult start to his U's career.
The former Liverpool trainnee suffered an injury-hit first campaign with Colchester and a hamstring injury ruled him out of the start of this season, too.
However, Gillespie has offered a taste of his considerable talent in the matches he has played for the U's so far and the club's fans will be hoping for more of the same in the coming months.

Scotland international Holt was brought in by Colchester as a player-coach in the summer, having been released by Wycombe Wanderers.
Holt, 36, worked with manager Paul Lambert at the Chairboys and brings a wealth of experience to the U's.
Holt, who can play as either a defender or midfielder, was a key figure in the Norwich City side that won promotion to the Premier League, in 2004.

Lisbie returned to Colchester for a second spell in August 2009, on a season-long loan from Ipswich Town.
The 30-year-old striker scored 17 goals for the U's during the 2007-08 season in the Coca-Cola Championship, before leaving to join Town.
Lisbie, the former Charlton Athletic front-man, made a fine start to his second spell with Colchester, scoring twice in the memorable opening day 7-1 win at Norwich City .

Wordsworth has gone from strength to strength after signing a professional contract IN 2007.
The young playmaker was a regular appearance-maker in Coca-Cola League One last season and scored his first professional goal in the 4-3 defeat at Cheltenham Town in October.
Wordsworth made the bench for Colchester for their final Coca-Cola Championship game of the 2006-07 season against Crystal Palace and forced his way into former manager Geraint Williams' plans in the latter half of last season.

Fans favourite Tierney initially arrived at Colchester United on loan from Shrewsbury Town last November, before making the move permanent in the January transfer window.
The tough-tackling left-back impressed under former manager Paul Lambert and is expected to be a regular in the U's side this season.
Tierney, 23, won Shrewsbury 's player of the year award in the 2007-08 season.

White began the current season on loan at Colchester United's Essex rivals Southend United.
The popular 24-year-old defender moved into the U's youth system in the summer of 2002, having impressed in the club's Centre of Excellence.
The Great Totham-born defender has impressed at the U's over the years with his solid defending and has also added a more attacking element to his game of late.

Lockwood's time at Colchester United has been interrupted by injury so far.
The former Leyton Orient and Bristol Rovers defender played in the U's opening three matches of last season.
But he was then sidelined by a troublesome knee injury and only returned at the end of the campaign, following a successful loan spell at Coca-Cola League Two side Barnet.
The experienced full-back, who joined Colchester for a six-figure fee from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2008, will be hoping to force his way into Aidy Boothroyd's plans, having struggled to impress former boss Paul Lambert.

Like team-mate John White, Matt Heath has found first-team opportunities limted at the U's under Paul Lambert.
The tall defender was signed on loan by former Geraint Williams in March 2007, as the U's battled in vain to avoid relegation from the Coca-Cola Championship.
The 6' 4' inch centre-half then joined Colchester permanently from Leeds United, becoming Williams' first summer signing.
Commanding in the air and good in the tackle, former Leicester City favourite Heath will be keen for regular first-team football this season, whether at the U's or elsewhere.

Vernon looked like he was on his way out of the Community Stadium this summer.
But he turned down a move to Carlisle United and started the season well, scoring in Colchester United's 7-1 thrashing of Norwich City on the opening day of the season.
Vernon had already written his name into Colchester when he scored a vital winning goal at Bournemouth towards the end of the U's promotion-winning season of 2005-06, while on loan at Layer Road.
Vernon then returned to Blackpool but found a regular starting place hard to come by for the Tangerines, despite helping them win promotion to the
Championship in 2007.
He joined Colchester on a permanent basis in January, 2008 and is now battling it out with the likes of Clive Platt, Kevin Lisbie and Steven Gillespie for a regular starting berth.

After bursting on to the first team scene in March 2008, Elito found first-team appearances hard to come by last season.
The skilful winger made his senior U's debut against Cardiff City and scored his first professional goal in the 4-3 defeat at West Brom , later that month. Elito represented England at the U17 World Cup in Korea - where he helped them reach the quarter-final stage - and has been a regular pick for the under-19s.
He was on the verge of leaving under former manager Paul Lambert but signed a new two-year deal with the U's in September, 2009.