Colchester United 2020 review - highs and lows for U's

Had you told any Colchester United supporter that in 2020, the U’s reach the League Two play-offs, the season would end two months early, their long-serving head coach and club captain would depart, chairman and owner Robbie Cowling would write an open letter to the Prime Minister and they would finish the calendar year playing games behind closed doors, most – if not all - would have dismissed such talk as utter codswallop. At best.

But as we all know, in this uniquely challenging year where every day seems to have brought unprecedented news, pretty much nothing has come as a surprise.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has, of course, been devastating and felt all over the world. It has been life-changing for so many and the consequences have been severe.

As Mr Cowling so rightly said in one of his many excellent statements over the past nine months or so, it is at times like this when you realise what a real crisis is – and how football can pale into insignificance in context with the bigger picture.

It has been a year we will never forget for many reasons and the implications for football clubs like the U’s have been brutal and still are; given the stark financial consequences of the pandemic for clubs both now and in the future, the fact that they are still playing competitively in League Two is a blessing in itself.

Yet in the end, the year ultimately finished as it started for Colchester on the pitch – with a home draw and with hope that better times lie around the corner.

The Gazette looks at some of the highs and lows for Colchester United in 2020, a year like no other.

HIGHS

REACHING THE PLAY-OFFS

COLCHESTER had been knocking on the door of the League Two play-offs for three seasons under John McGreal prior to finally clinching a top-seven finish, albeit in a curtailed campaign.

The fact that the U’s gave themselves a serious shot at promotion back to the third tier was an achievement, even though they ultimately just fell short in their semi-final against Exeter City.

It reflected some consistent results and performances and some impressive individual contributions.

YOUNG GUNS GOING FOR IT

COLCHESTER have a long-standing reputation for developing talented young players and their academy is well respected within the game.

And 2020 saw yet more of their fledgling stars emerge into the first-team reckoning.

Kwame Poku established himself as a first-team starter and this season, Noah Chilvers has been the home-grown U’s player to stand out with his consistently impressive performances in the U’s midfield.

U’s head coach Steve Ball has handed senior debuts to six academy players so far this season – Junior Tchamadeu, Marley Marshall, Sammie McLeod, Miquel Scarlett, Harvey Sayer and Samson Tovide have all made their senior bows over recent months.

Indeed, at 16 years old right-back Tchamadeu became the youngest player to ever start a competitive game for Colchester when he was picked for their match against Grimsby Town, earlier this month.

LEADING FROM THE TOP

FOR many football supporters up and down the country, an overriding feeling of detachment has sadly been evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, with last season ending prematurely and then games being played behind closed doors.

So the regularity with which U’s chairman Robbie Cowling has communicated with U’s fans and kept them in the loop during these testing times has been a breath of fresh air.

He has been honest yet forthright with his statements over the last few months and the transparent nature of his communication has been a source of solace for the Colchester faithful, in difficult times.

HOME SWEET HOME

THE JobServe Community Stadium became something of a fortress under John McGreal’s reign as Colchester United manager – and it seems as though his successor Steve Ball has taken on the mantle.

Of the 18 League Two matches to be played at the venue in 2020, the U’s tasted defeat in only three of them, winning ten and drawing five.

Colchester’s form on home soil provided the foundation for their play-off push last season and it is likely the results they achieve there in the coming months will have a similar bearing on their aspirations, this time around.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT

THERE have been plenty of stories of how people have risen to the challenge and helped one another, during the pandemic.

And Colchester United’s efforts in the community during the Covid-19 pandemic have been evident for all to see.

Led by the long-serving Corin Haines, the efforts of the Colchester United Football in the Community team – the U’s charity partner, over the last few months in providing the help and support to the people and groups who need it most has been outstanding.

Kind-hearted staff and volunteers have undertaken collections, food parcel deliveries, lunch deliveries and a food parcel collection service, making a huge difference.

The U’s have played their part as a football club too, with gestures such as first-team players making phone calls to fans raising spirits, when it is genuinely needed most.

LOWS

MISSING U'S

FOOTBALL is nothing without fans. And although the game has been able to continue in the pandemic with games being played behind closed doors, it is simply not the same sport without supporters.

Colchester United fans were among the first in the country to experience what it would be like to have to watch their side from behind a screen rather than from the stands when their play-off semi-final against Exeter City was played in front of empty stands, back in the summer.

And although a number of supporters returned briefly for the recent home games against Morecambe and Grimsby Town, the U’s will finish one year and start another by playing in an empty stadium.

It has just not been the same without them.

PAYING THE PRICE

NEEDLESS to say, the financial implications of the Covid-19 pandemic are substantial.

The loss of income for EFL clubs like Colchester has been devastating and it has been a hugely testing time for chairman and owner Robbie Cowling and all of his staff.

The £250m bailout package provided by Premier League to the EFL earlier this month was most welcome and the fact that the U’s are run so prudently should provide some comfort to their concerned fans.

Nevertheless, what has happened in 2020 has brought into sharp focus how significant the loss of income for all stadium events can be for a club like Colchester United.

DEVON DESPAIR

HAVING battled so hard to give themselves a shot at promotion in the play-offs, Colchester United’s semi-final defeat at Exeter City proved particularly painful.

The U’s had given themselves a great opportunity to make the final after beating the Grecians 1-0 in the first leg at the JobServe Community Stadium, thanks to Cohen Bramall’s excellent free-kick.

But the second leg down in Devon proved a huge disappointment and pretty heartbreaking, after it went to extra-time.

HARD TO SAY GOODBYE

TO say that Colchester United chairman Robbie Cowling has had to make some tough decisions in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic is something of an understatement.

One of his most difficult tasks was to inform first-team quartet Luke Prosser, Frank Nouble, Ryan Jackson and Brandon Comley that they would not be offered new contracts when their existing deals expired.

It was a sad consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the financial implications it has had on clubs.

All four players served the club well during their time at the JobServe Community Stadium and played their part in helping the U’s reach the League Two play-offs and the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, last season.

DERBY BLUES

IT was their final away game of 2020 – but there was nothing for Colchester United to celebrate after their Boxing Day derby defeat at Southend United.

The U’s were beaten 2-0 by their struggling county rivals after serving up a lacklustre performance for their fans watching back at home.

It was a hugely disappointing display, particularly given the emphatic nature of Colchester’s 6-1 victory over Blues in the Papa John’s Trophy, just six weeks earlier.