HAPPY New Year to you all. We have finally seen the back of 2020 and welcomed in 2021 in rather subdued circumstances.

But sadly the new year has begun the same the old one ended, with COVID being the main headliner and for the first time this season being the cause of a Colchester United home game being called off.

Now there has been lots of claim and counter claims as to why the game was called off and where the cases lie.

But with the way this pandemic is heading, the safety-first approach has to be taken and no matter how late in the day the call is needed, it must be made.

Hopefully with this week's mass testing in the EFL will show the true picture of where we stand with cases and allow clubs to better prepare and ensure if games need to be postponed they can be with more warning and greater understanding as to why.

What needs to be done is for the EFL to take more of the pressure off the clubs and publish the thresholds of cases, contact etc that is the red one to call off games.

They have left too much to the clubs and need to show better leadership so that things can operate safely, while ensuring games are played as often as possible.

Anyway enough of the doom and gloom of COVID for now.

This week also saw the launch of the club's latest fan engagement with the going live of the fan vote on the one-off shirt we will wear against Southend, in April.

At first viewing, all the shirts have appeal and if they were to be next season's home, away and clash kit, I could see little to moan about.

But that's not what they are there for and it is a “one off”.

Now the blue and white stripe shirt is the clear favourite, as the fans have been longing for the lads to be back in stripes but remembering this is a one-off and we are unlikely to play in the colour combinations ever again.

I am leaning towards the blue and yellow striped shirt and before everyone jumps on my back for this, let me explain.

We are, all being well, going to play in blue and white stripes again as our home kit in the coming seasons - fingers crossed next year.

We've seen the lads in white shirts recently as an away and now clash shirt, so that leaves the blue and yellow.

It is different and as the fans with loyalty tokens will be the only ones able to buy it, it will be a shirt of limited numbers.

It'll be one for those who can and do get their hands on to wear and stand out in, not just blending in with the blue and white of seasons past and to come.

Again with most things in football it is a matter of opinion and one that is a welcome distraction to the COVID situation.

A shirt that in years to come will be one that makes you remember a time when one of our most pleasured pastimes was taken from us and to make us appreciate when we can all be back in the ground together, cheering the lads to victory.

Until then, chins up and let's support anyway we can. Up the U’s.