Colchester United’s first season back in English football’s fourth tier for nearly two decades was nothing if not eventful.
While the U’s ultimately missed out on their target of promotion back to League One at the first time of asking, it was nevertheless a campaign that brought plenty of positives as John McGreal’s side finished just a point adrift of the play-off places and unbeaten in six matches.
McGreal had predicted before a ball was kicked that his first season in senior management would be a rollercoaster ride and he was proved correct in his forecast.
Colchester went from occupying a top-four place in August to finding themselves in the relegation zone just three months later, only to then embark on a fine second half of the campaign that saw them rise up the League Two table.
So what were the main positives and negatives from Colchester’s campaign?
The Daily Gazette’s Colchester United reporter Jonathan Waldron, who has followed the U’s up and down the country again this season, examines the pluses and minuses from an eventful campaign.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

1 HOME, SWEET HOME

COLCHESTER United won an impressive 14 league games at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, this season.

No League Two side triumphed in more matches on home soil than the U’s; only newly-crowned champions Portsmouth and fellow promoted side Doncaster Rovers were victorious in as many fixtures, in front of their own fans.

Indeed, Colchester lost only five times at the Community Stadium in the league and only twice in the final six months of the campaign.

At a venue which has proved somewhat troublesome for the U’s since their switch there from Layer Road in 2008, this was one of the club’s best home seasons since the move.

For home success, it is second only perhaps to the 2009-10 season, when the U’s won 15 league games at the Community Stadium under Paul Lambert and then his successor, Aidy Boothroyd.

2 SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT

THE harmony evident within the Colchester United squad has been the best it has been for some time, this season.

The blend of seasoned professionals such as captain Chris Porter and George Elokobi with home-grown youngsters like Tom Lapslie and Frankie Kent worked well and created a genuine commitment to the cause.

Much of that was down to head coach John McGreal, who brought in the right characters last summer and ensured that for the majority of the season the squad balanced together well.

Crucially, the U’s players seem to have genuinely enjoyed playing under McGreal and assistant manager Steve Ball and more often than not, have wanted to run through brick walls for them.

It is that kind of spirit and commitment that has helped Colchester rise from the bottom echelons of League Two to within tantalising touching distance of the play-offs.

3 MAKING A CONNECTION

JOHN McGreal made a point of thanking Colchester United’s supporters, in his final post-match interview of the season last weekend.

They were not hollow words; the U’s head coach has been determined to re-establish the relationship between team and fans that has become somewhat eroded over recent years, a link damaged by several seasons of struggle in League One.

It is no coincidence that the repair of the said bond has come in a season when Colchester have produced their best home form in years.

The players have done their bit on the pitch with their performances and also their general demeanour and actions on matchday; George Elokobi’s rapport with the South Stand is a case in point.

But U’s fans – both home and away – also deserve credit for their committed support and desire to get behind their team throughout the season and help produce the best atmosphere at the Community Stadium for some time.

4 ADDITIONS PROVIDE THE RIGHT ANSWER

THE vast majority of them ended the season on the treatment table but the fact that Colchester United were hindered by the absence of their summer arrivals shows the impact that they made in their first season at the club.

From captain Luke Prosser, who led the side so well in the opening months of the season, to newly-crowned Player of the Year Brennan Dickenson, whose electric wing play lit up the Community Stadium on countless occasions, the U’s close-season signings proved largely a success.

Kurtis Guthrie and Craig Slater were also big success stories after arriving before the new campaign, while the arrival of the likes of Sean Murray, Lewis Kinsella and loanee Tarique Fosu also proved fruitful.

After chairman Robbie Cowling had admitted at the end of last season that player recruitment had to improve at Colchester in order for them to prosper, the enlistment they made last summer offers encouraging evidence of further useful additions in the coming months, in readiness for the 2017-18 campaign.

5 THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

COLCHESTER United’s home-grown academy players amassed more than 200 first-team appearances between them, this season.

The likes of Young Player of the Year Tom Lapslie, Drey Wright and Cameron James established themselves as regulars in the starting line-up, rising to the occasion and showing maturity beyond their tender years.

This was the first season where clubs had to make do without the emergency loan window and the strength of Colchester’s youth set-up has demonstrated that they are able to cope with the changes more than most.

John McGreal’s understanding and knowledge of not only the U’s academy but also youth football in general has without doubt helped him at senior level.

The U’s head coach has shown full confidence in the likes of Lapslie, Kent and James, knowing them as people as well as players.

And he has not been afraid to give other youngsters such as Diaz Wright, Louis Dunne and Charley Edge an opportunity, at different times of the campaign.

THINGS TO WORK ON

1 TRAVEL SICKNESS

COLCHESTER United were victorious in their final away game of the season.

But their eventful 3-1 win at Leyton Orient was their first of 2017 and their form on the road in the final four months of the season ultimately proved damaging, in their race for the play-offs.

In stark contrast with their home performances, where they invariably took the lead against their opponents and then went on to claim victory, they often struggled to take the initiative in games on the road.

There were some high moments; the win at rivals Wycombe Wanderers back in August was memorable, as were the victories over Luton Town and Stevenage over the festive period.

But after managing just five away wins all season, the U’s will need to improve on the road next season if they are to challenge for promotion.

2 IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH

THE number of injuries Colchester United have had to contend with this season has been unprecedented.

At one stage of the season, U’s head coach John McGreal had more than a dozen players on the treatment table.

They were not just squad players, either; the majority of squad members missing due to injury have been key personnel, particularly in the final few months of the campaign.

The absence of the likes of Kurtis Guthrie, Luke Prosser, Frankie Kent, Craig Slater and more latterly, Brennan Dickenson has been particularly frustrating, given the way they have performed this season.

It is testament to the remainder of Colchester’s squad – and the management skills of McGreal – that they were able to finish the season so strongly and push so hard for a play-off place.

But it goes without saying that the U’s will be doing everything in their power to avoid a repeat anything like the frequency of injuries occurring again, in the 2017-18 season.

3 TOUGH AT THE TOP

COLCHESTER United’s home form was excellent throughout the season.

But while they generally pushed the top sides hard both home and away, they often came up short in terms of results.

The U’s managed to pick up just two points against the three teams who were automatically promoted and a total of 15 points out of a possible 42 against the sides who finished immediately above them, in the top seven.

It is certainly no disgrace and it should be remembered that only champions Portsmouth and Exeter City managed to beat Colchester on their travels.

Indeed, only last month the U’s pushed promoted sides Plymouth Argyle and Doncaster Rovers all the way and showed no fear.

But as he plots another promotion assault for next season, head coach John McGreal will no doubt be looking at improving his side’s win ratio against the division’s top teams.

4 FAST STARTERS, SLOW FINISHERS?

ONLY promoted Doncaster Rovers scored more first-half goals than Colchester United in League Two, this season.

The U’s hit an impressive total of 39 goals before half-time in their league matches.

More often than not, they were rapid starters in games particularly at the Weston Homes Community Stadium where it was very rare for them to fall behind in any matches.

However, the U’s second-half goal ratio was not as prolific; indeed, only two sides – Crewe Alexandra and relegated Leyton Orient – netted fewer times after the break in League Two.

Indeed, Colchester were particularly vulnerable in the final 15 minutes of their matches where they conceded a total of 17 goals, the majority of which came on their travels.

Only Orient, Yeovil Town and Newport County shipped more goals in that period of their matches and late goals in games against the likes of Morecambe, Yeovil and Plymouth Argyle proved particularly costly for Colchester, over the course of the campaign.

5 FORWARD THINKING

COLCHESTER United scored an impressive 67 goals in their campaign, a goalscoring tally second only to the seven sides that finished above them in the League Two table.

Of that total, 50 goals - nearly 75 per cent - were scored by attacking players in the U’s side and Chris Porter (16 goals), Kurtis Guthrie (12 goals) and Brennan Dickenson (12) netted 40 between them.

Colchester head coach John McGreal recently stated publically his desire to see players chip in with goals from other positions and although it is now academic, had they done that this season, particularly from the midfield areas, they may well have found the extra edge needed to clinch a play-off place.

Nevertheless, it is a big positive that Colchester’s forwards found their goalscoring boots throughout the season, something that has not always been the case for the club over recent years.

Indeed, to have three different players reach double figures in the scoring stakes is a feat not to be sniffed at and more often than not is a statistic attributed to a promotion-winning side.