TOMMY Smith says Colchester United's players are embracing the club's hectic fixture schedule.

The U's game at Walsall tomorrow will be their seventh in the space of 21 days, in all competitions.

Colchester's players experienced a long day of travelling in midweek, as they played out a 0-0 draw at Bradford City on Wednesday.

But with games still coming thick and fast, skipper Smith says he is relishing the busy run of games as the U's attempt to extend their unbeaten league run to four matches at the Banks's Stadium.

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/subscribe/?utm_source=website&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=jwaldron_christmasonsitepromo

Smith said: "It's a busy schedule but we love it and we'd rather be playing games than training - I think any footballer would say that.

"If we keep playing games, we'll be fine.

"In this day and age, we got recovery systems in place and there's no issue with that.

"We'll be ready to go again on Saturday at Walsall.

"We feel like we're in a good place in terms of performances and we just want to pick up as many points as possible.

"We're looking up and we want to get into those play-off places - we want to start winning games.

"There were a lot of changes in the summer and it's going to take a little bit of time for those new signings to bed in.

"It takes for them to get to know each other and how each other play and just get used to each other.

"It does feel like we're a very close-knit squad now and hopefully we can use this little unbeaten league run we're on to fly up the table now."

Gazette:

Colchester head into the Walsall game on the back of a goal-less draw at Bradford, where they improved after a shaky start.

U's boss Hayden Mullins replaced Sylvester Jasper with Brendan Wiredu just before half-time and it solidified the midfield.

Jasper looked disappointed to be taken off but defender Smith says the Fulham loanee will bounce back.

"That's what the manager is paid to do, to make these sorts of decisions, to change games," said the experienced U's centre-back.

"We've missed Brendan's authority in the middle of midfield and we felt that we needed to strengthen in there.

"Unfortunately for Syl, he was the one who had to be sacrificed but there's peaks and troughs as a footballer.

"He'll be disappointed with that but he's been brilliant for us all season and he'll bounce back from that, for sure.

"It was a good away performance at Bradford.

"It's a cliche but an away point is never a bad point and to keep a clean sheet away at Bradford is always a good one as well.

"The chances are being created and we'd more worried if we weren't creating anything at all.

"But the chances are there and on another day, they'd go in for us.

"It was a positive performance and a positive point on the board.

"We knew we had to be disciplined as the away team.

"The impetus was on Bradford as the home team to come out and get the win.

"But we're really good at hitting teams on the counter and we nearly did that."