Colchester United review after testing first half of season

The U’s disappointing showing in the first half of the League Two campaign has made for an all too familiar sense of anxiety and unease among the fanbase, at the midway point of the season.

Colchester’s precarious league position – six points and one place above the relegation zone – means that they will head into a brand new year aiming for a marked improvement on their overall performance, in the opening 25 league games.

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The U’s have lost 16 of those matches, more than any team in their division and have shipped 51 goals, the total number they conceded in the whole of last season.

Having steered clear of relegation danger in the final weeks of the last campaign, hopes had been high at the start of the season that this might be the year that Colchester could become a force at the right end of the table, under Ben Garner.

There was plenty of change in the summer, with the likes of Joe Taylor, Owen Goodman and Ellis Iandolo all brought in and experienced performers such as Luke Chambers, Cole Skuse, Tom Eastman and Freddie Sears departing.

It felt like a fresh start at the JobServe Community Stadium, with Garner trying to stamp his mark on the club and making changes both on and off the field, in a bid to transform their fortunes.

But the unfortunate postponement of the U’s opening-day game with Swindon Town seemed to somehow set a marker for what was to follow.

Colchester lost their opening three league matches – along with making a Carabao Cup exit at Championship side Cardiff City on penalties – and had to wait until the final game in August to register their first win.

It came at Gillingham – who had gone into the match with the U’s at Prestfield Stadium on the back of four wins out of four without conceding a goal – and it was hoped the U’s convincing 3-0 triumph would form a springboard for them to find some form.

But a 1-0 defeat at Walsall followed and although Colchester registered a first home win over Tranmere Rovers in September, things were not clicking the way in which Garner and his team would have hoped.

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The thrilling 5-4 home win over former leaders Notts County at the end of September was a big boost, one from which the U’s had hoped to turn the corner.

But it proved to be Garner’s final league win as Colchester boss; the disastrous 5-0 thrashing at bottom club Forest Green Rovers proved particularly damaging and the U’s home defeat to Harrogate Town seven days later ultimately proved the final straw for chairman Robbie Cowling.

Colchester had managed only three league wins in their opening 13 games and Garner paid the price for some poor form; he was relieved of his duties after 27 league and cup games, at the helm.

Matty Etherington was elevated from his role as U’s under-21 boss to take temporary charge in mid-October and made a fantastic start, leading the club to a much-needed 3-2 win at Grimsby Town.

A 1-0 victory at Accrington Stanley quickly followed and despite an FA Cup exit at League One outfit Shrewsbury Town, the league points kept coming with a 3-1 triumph over Swindon Town boosting Etherington’s chances of landing the job on a permanent basis.

Etherington was only denied a fourth successive league win by a last-gasp equaliser from former U’s defender Omar Sowunmi, as Sutton United claimed a 1-1 draw at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Nevertheless, the draw did not stop Mr Cowling from appointing Etherington full-time, with hopes high of the momentum continuing.

Sadly, it has not.

Since then, Colchester have been on a miserable run of form which has seen them lose eight of their last ten games in all competitions, with a league win over fellow strugglers Salford City and an EFL Trophy victory against Peterborough United the only bright spots.

The U’s have shipped 22 goals in their last eight games in all competitions and their 5-3 defeat at AFC Wimbledon in their final game of 2023 has only increased the dissatisfaction currently evident within the fanbase.

Etherington – and his predecessor Garner – have not been helped by a host of injuries which continue to plague the squad, this season.

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The likes of Fiacre Kelleher, Nico Lawrence, Connor Hall and Ellis Iandolo have been badly missed and it is hoped that the return of key players in 2024 will enhance the U’s chances of climbing away from danger.

The upcoming transfer window also offers hope too of reinforcements although the significance of thee potential loss of top goalscorer Taylor – who has hit 12 goals already this season for Colchester – is one that is difficult to play down.

The Luton Town striker has provided around a third of the U’s goals so far this season, with Cameron McGeehan the next highest scorer with six.

Needless to say, Colchester head into their game against Gillingham on New Year’s Day aiming for a much-needed victory.

The U’s began 2023 with three successive league wins to start the year on a real high. How they would love a repeat scenario this time around and to ring in 2024 with some much-needed cheer.