COLCHESTER United are edging closer to the big kick-off - and the start of the new League Two campaign.

The U's have played six friendlies this summer, against Wealdstone, Ipswich Town, Gillingham, Spurs, Watford and Billericay Town.

A look at the stats from pre-season helps to indicate who might be in Hayden Mullins' immediate thoughts, ahead of the 2021/22 season.

It also shows which players have the most minutes in the tank ahead of the big kick-off against Carlisle United on Saturday - and which players have been more lightly raced or been restricted by injuries.

Newly-installed club captain Tommy Smith has the most pre-season action to his name, clocking up 452 minutes.

He is closely followed by fellow centre-half Luke Chambers who racked up 432 and then returning striker Freddie Sears, on 395.

Ryan Clampin (383), Tom Eastman and Frank Nouble (both 382) and Brendan Wiredu (377) have also featured heavily for Colchester, along with new signings Alan Judge (362), Cole Skuse (349) and Cameron Coxe (303).

A total of nine players have featured in all six of Colchester's friendlies - Eastman, Wiredu, Coxe, Nouble, Chambers, Smith, Skuse, Clampin (pictured below) and Sears.

Gazette:

Of the U's young players to get a taste of friendly action this summer, the likes of Gene Kennedy (118), Junior Tchamadeu (118, pictured below) and Harry Beadle (103) have all got plenty of game time.

Smith completed three 90-minute games, with Judge, Nouble, Eastman and Chambers each playing two 90-minute games apiece and Wiredu one.

Some U's first-team players have found themselves a little shorter on match-time due to injuries and Covid-related issues.

Gazette:

New signing Luke Hannant completed 182 minutes before being laid low by Covid, while goalkeepers Shamal George (195) and Dean Gerken (213) also saw their game time restricted.

Trialist Bayli Spencer-Adams (129) featured in the majority of Colchester's pre-season, while striker Richard Kone completed 208 minutes before departing to Brentford on trial.

Here’s a full rundown of the minutes and goals from U's players, this summer:

MINUTES

SMITH 452

CHAMBERS 432

SEARS 395

CLAMPIN 383

EASTMAN 382

NOUBLE 382

WIREDU 377

JUDGE 362

SKUSE 349

COXE 303

CHILVERS 276

WELCH-HAYES 267

GERKEN 213

KONE 208

GEORGE 195

HANNANT 182

SPENCER-ADAMS 129

KENNEDY 118

TCHAMADEU 118

POKU 118

BEADLE 103

THOMAS 88

TOVIDE 48

CRACKNELL 45

STAGG 45

CORNISH 32

TERRY 4

GOALS

JUDGE 2

KONE 1

SEARS 1

CHILVERS 1

NOUBLE 1

SMITH 1

LINE-UPS:

BILLERICAY: (first half): Gerken, Cracknell, Eastman, Spencer-Adams, Wiredu, Chilvers, Coxe, Tchamadeu, Poku, Nouble, Stagg.

Second half: George, Chambers, Smith, Welch-Hayes, Skuse, Kennedy, Clampin, Hannant, Judge, Sears, Kone.

WATFORD (first game): George, Welch-Hayes, Eastman, Spencer-Adams, Wiredu, Kennedy, Tchamadeu, Hannant, Judge, Sears, Kone.

Second game: Gerken, Beadle, Chambers, Smith, Skuse, Chilvers, Coxe, Clampin, Poku, Nouble, Thomas.

SPURS: George, Eastman (sub Tchamadeu, 77), Smith (sub Spencer-Adams, 77), Chambers (sub Coxe, 77), Clampin (sub Welch-Hayes, 77), Skuse (sub Kennedy, 77), Wiredu (sub Cornish, 81), Judge (sub Poku, 77), Hannant (sub Thomas, 77), Nouble (sub Kone, 77), Sears (sub Beadle, 77).

GILLINGHAM: Gerken (Trialist D 62’), Welch-Hayes (Spencer-Adams, 79’), Clampin (Eastman 70’), Chambers (Beadle 70’), Smith, Wiredu (Tovide 79’), Skuse (Trialist C 70’), Sears (Nouble 70’), Chilvers (Cornish 79’), Coxe (Thomas 79’), Kone.

IPSWICH TOWN: Gerken (Trialist F, 46); Eastman, Chambers, Smith, Clampin (Skuse, 61); Wiredu, Chilvers (Trialist E 62), Coxe (Trialist C, 86), Judge, Sears (Tovide, 73), Nouble.

WEALDSTONE: Trialist F (sub Trialist G), Eastman (sub Terry, 86), Smith (sub Beadle, 80), Chambers (sub Spencer-Adams, 76), Welch-Hayes (sub Coxe, 70), Skuse (sub Wiredu, 68), Chilvers (sub Trialist H, 76), Clampin (sub Trialist E), Judge (sub Cornish, 80), Nouble (sub Thomas, 86), Sears (sub Tovide, 70).