AIDY Boothroyd feels Colchester United’s mouth-watering East Anglian derby could be a “defining moment” in the club’s season.

And the U’s boss believes his players will have a point to prove against promotion rivals Norwich City tomorrow.

A sell-out crowd will pack into the Weston Homes Community Stadium, for the top-of-the-table Coca-Cola League One clash.

It will be the first time the teams have met since Colchester’s memorable 7-1 thrashing of the Canaries, on the opening day of the season.

The match will also see Norwich boss Paul Lambert return to the U’s for the first time since his controversial decision to quit, last August.

Colchester chairman Robbie Cowling is still actively pursuing compensation from Norwich over the matter, which also saw coaches Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa follow Lambert to Carrow Road.

Boothroyd said: “It’s a football match that we want to win because we’ve got two games in hand on Norwich and a six-point gap.

“It may be a defining moment."

For the full story see today's Gazette.