COLCHESTER United have experienced an inconsistent start to the League Two season.
Ben Garner’s side currently reside in 21st place, three points above the relegation zone following some up-and-down form, so far.
While wins over Notts County and Gillingham have shown that they are capable of beating any team in the division, defeats against the likes of Newport County and Walsall have exposed their frailties.
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But in one department at least, Colchester are up there as one of the best in the league, as they prepare for their important trip to play bottom side Forest Green Rovers, this weekend.
The U’s currently boast the third highest average number of shots on goal per game in League Two, behind Mansfield Town and Wrexham.
They average 15.5 shots on goal per game, with their xG (Expected Goals) currently at 1.56, the sixth highest in the division.
Indeed, even against Morecambe last weekend, which was a disjointed performance to say the least, they registered 21 shots on goal, five of which were on target.
The challenge now is for Colchester to convert more of those efforts into goals, with the 17 goals they have scored in their opening 11 league games not reflecting the number of attempts they are having.
“We want to keep doing it, we want to keep building on it but at the same time, we want to be more positive with it,” said Garner.
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“It was a challenge last season, coming in.
“We were averaging seven or eight shots a game, with two or three on target and it’s very difficult to win football games if that’s the case.
“I think we’ve addressed that, I think we’ve had a good change and are creating a lot of opportunities, especially in the last four or five games.
“We want to continue to do that, going hand in hand with being defensively solid and having a nice structure.”
On the flipside side, Colchester fans will be demanding better defending in the future, with their xGA (Goals Expected Against) currently at 1.66, the worst of all teams in League Two, this season.
The U’s have conceded 20 goals this season, by no means the worst defensive record in the division but nearly half of those have been shipped in their last three matches.
“The goals we’ve conceded in the past three games have been too soft,” admits Garner.
“They’re avoidable goals and that comes down to that intensity and that mentality.
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“Teams in this league are going to be more experienced and older than us, across the squad.
“A lot of teams set up pragmatically, not to make mistakes and we don’t want to play that way.
“That’s no disrespect to anyone but we want to be a front foot team, an exciting team, we want to attack but not at the cost of giving up goals.
“We’ve shown that we can do both sides of the game; look at us defensively against Gillingham and Mansfield, with really strong performances.
“I’ve seen everything from the group as a whole that can make us successful – it’s just a case of knitting it all together regularly, game after game after game.
“If we do that, then we’re going to be in a really good place.”
Colchester travel to play bottom side Forest Green Rovers, on Saturday.
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