BRIAN Waller has been a Colchester United supporter for nearly 60 years, watching the club's teams compete from first team to under-18 level on a weekly basis.

Here he gives his verdict on what has been a testing campaign for the U's but one where there have nevertheless still been plenty of bright spots for the academy.

IN what has been one of the most challenging seasons of football watching for the club, the chairman Robbie Cowling, the club’s management, players plus their supporters, thankfully in the end everything turned out all right.

Whilst Robbie often takes criticism from some quarters about his action, you cannot fault his philosophy of paying all the debts, owing nobody any money and the difficult decisions which had to be made with players leaving at the start and in mid season due to the impact of Covid and playing without crowds.

Around nine years ago, Colchester's youth squads went into the Professional Development League and although at times, results do not look good in some seasons, the end result justified the means when you look at the success that it has produced.

This has seen many youngsters progress from our under-18s to big and better things.

This season, two of the squad of 2013/14 are now at Peterborough United and have secured promotion to the Championship - Sammie Szmodics and Frankie Kent.

Of that same era after a drop down to Leyton Orient, Macaulay Bonne then moved onto Charlton Athletic and Queens Park Rangers.

Of the 2020/21 first-team squad, Ryan Clampin and Tom Lapslie featured in numerous squads, whilst this season has seen debuts or involvements on the bench for youngsters – Noah Chilvers, Marley Marshall-Miranda, Billy Cracknell, Junior Tchamadeu, Samson Tovide, Tom Stagg, Harvey Sayer, Sam Cornish and Callum Coulter (pictured below).

Gazette:

As a supporter of the club now for nearly 60 years, I have followed and watched the U’s squads at all levels, first team, under-23 and under-18.

Watching this season has been a test, with first-team games only seen on iFollow.

And with the youth games at Tiptree early season and then at Maldon and Tiptree with no entry allowed either, I have only managed to see six games live this season - but from the outside of the grounds.

For three at Tiptree, two of these were watched in the pouring rain, all through a hedge and two fences and at Maldon three mostly through the gap in the turnstiles and half a game from a hillside after negotiating through a gap in a barbed wire fence.

Only once did I take on that venture, and decided that was not a good option for me.

UNDER-23S

Things did not go so well for this squad this season but there were strong mitigating circumstances for this.

Although they ended the season in a poor run of form, it had to be borne in mind that the club’s idealism is not always results but to produce players for the future.

Up to the end of January, their record was three wins, six draws and five defeats, but around that time seven members of the squad left the club.

This meant that in the under-23s, most of the players were aged 20 and younger.

With the non-league season in the main postponed, Sam Cornish and Billy Cracknell (pictured below), who had been playing for Maldon and Tiptree, joined up with the 23s as all matches were switched to the Maldon ground, as did the under-18 matches.

Gazette:

Matchday action saw various trialists come in for games and often under-17 and under-18 players doubled up by playing for both squads.

For the record, the three wins were Watford away 1-0, Cardiff City at home 2-0 and Queens Park Rangers 1-0 away.

Their seven draws were home to Charlton Athletic 0-0, Queens Park Rangers 0-0, Watford 2-2 and Swansea City 1-1 and away at Barnsley 2-2 and Ipswich Town 2-2.

The best of the lot was Swansea City, where Colchester were losing 3-0 but ended drawing 3-3. Leading scorers were Tom Stagg (five) and Jake Hutchinson and trialists (four each).

UNDER-18S

After a couple of years of struggles with only a few wins, the squad I felt had a decent season.

Starting the season well and after a lull in results, picked up good scores in the end.

Matches against teams from the Northern Section always proved that section seemed to be the stronger one and the only wins were home to Hull City 5-3, after being 3-0 down, Crewe Alexandra 2-1 at home and Nottingham Forest away 3-0.

Against teams in their own section they beat second-placed Ipswich Town 3-2 at home and 6-0 away and third place Watford 3-0 at home and 7-2 away and Queens Park Rangers 3-1 at home and 3-0 at home.

The season saw nine wins and one draw in their 25 games played, scoring 52 goals.

Leading scorer by a long way was Tom Stagg with 17, Harvey Sayer (pictured below, six) and Marley Marshall-Miranda (four).

Gazette:

In the FA Youth Cup they won games at Stevenage 4-1 and Dorking 2-0 before losing at Watford 2-0. In these games both Stagg and Sayer scored twice each.