Colchester United boss Danny Cowley on Harry Anderson

The U's have snapped up the winger from League One side Stevenage, with Danny and brother Nicky having previously managed Anderson at both Lincoln City and Braintree Town.

Anderson helped Lincoln win promotion from both League Two and the National League under the Cowleys along with tasting victory with the Imps in the Football League Trophy Final, in 2018.

The 26-year-old has since gone on to win promotion from League Two with Bristol Rovers and U's boss Danny Cowley says the U's have signed a player who has talent and enthusiasm in abundance.

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Cowley said: "Harry is a brilliant kid.

"We had him first just as a baby at Braintree on loan from Peterborough, where he did great.

"We managed to sign him on loan in our first season at Lincoln and he played a huge part in getting us promoted and in the FA Cup run that we had.

"He's a brilliant kid and a fantastic player who plays with so much energy, so much determination and so much fight.

"He gives absolutely everything he's got.

"You can go to bed on a Friday night as a manager of Harry Anderson knowing that you have a wide player who's going to give their absolute all for the team and as a consequence, is able to play with a real level of consistency.

"Even when the top end of his game is not quite there, he still gives you such a work ethic and such a shift.

"He helped us get promoted in that first National League season; we bought him and Michael Bostwick in from Peterborough on the same day and it really changed the dynamics for us, as a football club.

"The moment we signed him in our first season back in the Football League it was like 'oh wow'; I think everybody thought then we were becoming an established League Two club already.

"He helped us get to the play-offs in our first year, he helped us win the Checkatrade Trophy against Shrewsbury and played a huge part in that and then the following season, helped us to get promoted.

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"He scores goals, he creates goals, he gives the team everything and what a lovely kid.

"For me and Nicky to wake up every morning knowing that we're going to see Harry Anderson is a good thing for us and I know that he'll fit in really well for this group.

"He's had a difficult period with injury which amazes us because I think he played near on 200 games consecutively for us, game after game after game.

"He's a powerful, athletic boy."

Danny and Nicky Cowley watched Anderson play for Stevenage in their Herts Senior Cup tie at Potters Bar Town, on Wednesday night.

Cowley added: "When you're 26, nearly 27 playing in that game, sometimes for the lesser professionals, maybe players who don't quite have his love for the game it's a challenging match.

"But Harry's got so much energy and so much enthusiasm.

"He received the ball in the third minute and drove down the pitch, in the sixth minute, he hits a brilliant shot that hits the inside of the post, in the eighth minute, he makes this thunderous block tackle that ended up going in the bottom corner and scoring - he just plays with so much enthusiasm.

"For Nicky and I, we love enthusiasm in our team - we want to be a high energy, high pressing team.

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"To have a boy that knows us and knows our team and also knows Tom Hopper, knows John Akinde, it just makes complete sense and it's a great signing for our football club.

"We'll have to bed him in because he hasn't had so much game time, whereas probably our other signings have all had good game time and played well over 1,000 minutes, he's one that's been short of game time in this first half of the season but a player as good as Harry Anderson doesn't become available to you unless they've had a difficult time with injury.

"Having looked at him and looked at his body, we're pretty sure we know the solutions and we're just delighted to have him with us."