“Even though he is in his third season in charge, to me he is not improving.”


During their first season back in the Football League, The Imps picked up three points against Colchester United, with a 1-0 defeat away on Tuesday 21st November in front of 3,102 and a 2-1 win at home on Saturday 21st April in front of 9,211.

The Colchester United goalscorer in the away match was Sammie Szmodics (3′). In the home game, Elliott Whitehouse put The Imps 1-0 ahead from the penalty spot in the 55th minute, then Courtney Senior made it 1-1 five minutes later. The Imps went down to 10 men in the 83rd minute when Michael Bostwick was sent off. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Luke Waterfall headed in to win the match for The Imps.

Thank you to Colchester United supporters Mick, Freddie and Doug for answering our questions!

First up, the answers provided by Mick! (You can get to the other two sets of answers by clicking the names above or by using the “Click here for the next page” button at the bottom of the page!)

How long have you supported Colchester United?

55 years.

Where did you finish last season?

13th.

What do you think of your Manager?

Even though he is in his third season in charge, to me he is not improving. He has a philosophy on how he wants the team to play and struggles to come up with answers when the opposition stops us from playing by pressing us, and stop us playing out from the back. Infuriates fans by defending deep when leading, especially away from home.

What are your hopes and expectations for this season?

With the squad that we have definitely top 7. If we had a decent manager, then it would be an automatic promotion.

One(s) to watch?

Luke Norris and Harry Pell.

Who do you think will finish in the top 7?

Lincoln City, Milton Keynes, Exeter City, Colchester United, Mansfield Town, Tranmere Rovers and Bury.

Who do you think will finish in the bottom 2?

Macclesfield Town and Cheltenham Town.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

They will get automatic promotion, probably as Champions. The Cowley’s won’t accept anything less.

What do you think the score will be?

1-1.

What will your likely default formation and style of play be for this season?

We don’t really have a default. We either play 3-5-2, or 4-3-1-2. However, we set up we have the same philosophy of playing a passing game, starting out from the back.

Random fact about your Club?

We reached the 5th Round of the FA Cup as a non-league team in 1948.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

Lee Frecklington. A goalscoring midfielder would be a useful addition.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Colchester United Supporter?

Playing in the Championship for two seasons is the proudest, as it something I thought would never happen in my lifetime. The most embarrassing moments have to be the many times we have been knocked out of the FA Cup by a non-league team. The worst was losing 4-1 to Bedlington Terriers, with the 20th anniversary coming up for that next month, and losing 1-0 at home to Oxford City last season not far behind.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

This is a tough one. Our fans would probably have a mixed opinion on this. Personally, I would say Frankie Kent. A centre-back who came through the academy and has come of age this season.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

We have a Supporters Association that run coaches for away games, but they don’t play any role at the club as far as I know.

Which was your favourite match involving Colchester United?

Beating Leeds (then the best team in the country) 3-2 in the FA Cup 5th Round in 1971.

Which was your least favourite match involving Colchester United?

It is hard to pick one, as there have been many. Perhaps I could pick my saddest match. That would be when lost 1-0 to Stoke in our last game at Layer Road, and at the same time we were relegated from the Championship, and would have to play in League One in our first season at the new stadium.

As the erstwhile capital of Roman Britain, do you have spiwit?

Yes, I have plenty of bwvardo. As for being the oldest recorded town, this something we have never sold too well as a tourist attraction.

If you could build the stadium again, what would you add/remove from a supporters perspective?

Most fans would have liked a stadium where the corners were filled in. Something that may happen in future if we ever got back to the Championship. As for removing. It would probably be to make the stadium smaller because with our small crowds it would create a better atmosphere.

Now for the answers provided by Freddie:

How long have you supported Colchester United?

I have supported the U’s since I was about 9, so 8 years now.

Where did you finish last season?

Rather disappointingly in 13th place, after just missing out on the playoffs the season before, we were way below the mark last season, with the second half of the season really damaging our league position.

What do you think of your Manager?

I’m happy to have John McGreal as our manager, having previously gone through a lot of managers in a short space of time, it’s refreshing to have someone stay longer than a season or two. This being his 3rd season at the U’s, McGreal has built up enough experience now to get us out of the league.

What are your hopes and expectations for this season?

My hopes are that we finally get the promotion to League One through the automatics, but realistically we have to be getting a playoff place at a minimum with the team we have.

One(s) to watch?

We have been a real handful in front of goal this and a lot of players have caught the eye, but if I was to pick 3 stand out players it would be:

Luke Prosser: Captain of the U’s since he arrived in 2016 and shows great leadership and experience on the field, without him commanding our defence we would have definitely conceded a lot more goals this season.

Harry Pell: Since arriving from Cheltenham in the summer, Pell has already become a fan favourite and one of our better players. A tall, box to box midfielder who can put in the dirty work in defence, but shows attacking prowess as well when going forward.

Luke Norris: Another summer arrival, this time from Swindon. Having had a delayed debut due to injury, Norris hit the ground running as soon as he was given his first start against Cheltenham in the Carabao cup, scoring a cracking effort from 25 yards. Having already hit 8 goals this campaign, he sure knows where the goal is not afraid to hit the ball from range.

Who do you think will finish in the top 7?

I think like every season, this will be a tight league and will go down to the final day, but here is my top 7:

Lincoln City, Milton Keynes, Exeter City, Bury, Colchester United, Mansfield Town and Stevenage (in that order).

Who do you think will finish in the bottom 2?

Sadly, I think Macclesfield already look down to me and I can’t see them clawing their way out of the relegation zone, it’s hard to pick who goes down with them, but I think I have to go with Morecambe.

Morecambe and Macclesfield Town.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

A thoroughly good team who deserve to be currently top of the table, seem to have all round great team from defence to attack, and in terms of attack – clearly are not afraid to score. Definitely, one of the best teams League Two has seen in while and more than likely will go up as Champions.

What do you think the score will be?

I think it will be a tight game, with a few goals, as much as I would want a win, I’ll go for a 2-2 draw.

What will your likely default formation and style of play be for this season?

McGreal isn’t afraid to change formation throughout the season, having played both a 4 at the back and 3 at the back formations. McGreal opts for an attacking style of play, with quick build up and also hitting teams on the counter-attack. Although does like his team to sit deep and defend when winning a game, which can be the only downfall to his management style.

Random fact about your Club?

Colchester United are one of only four winners of the Watney Cup which was a cup held from 1970-74. United beat W.B.A 4-3 on penalties having drawn the game 4-4.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

Had to think about this, and I would pick Micheal Bostwick, due to the fact of his versatility in midfield and defence and also experience in the game.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Colchester United Supporter?

The proudest moment has definitely got to be beating Preston 1-0 to avoid relegation to League Two back in 2015.

The most embarrassing would be losing 3-0 to the Southend the season we went back down the League Two, due to the sheer fact of who scored and how they celebrated, I don’t even want to mention their name!

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

Would have a to be number 4 Tom Lapslie, does all the dirty work and hard grafting in the midfield, not a showpiece player, but someone who you can rely on consistently to perform well.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

We do, and that would be the CUSA (Colchester United Supporters Association) and they play an important role at the club. From organising transport to arranging Q & A and many other things, they allow the fans to have a voice and be heard by the club.

Which was your favourite match involving Colchester United?

It would have to be when we faced Preston at home and had to win to stay up, it would be George Moncur who would save us on that day with an 82nd-minute strike to keep us in League One. The match wasn’t great, but the atmosphere was top draw.

Which was your least favourite match involving Colchester United?

It would have to be when Burton beat us 3-0 comfortably to send us down to League Two. Will always remember the deadly silence when the final whistle went.

As the erstwhile capital of Roman Britain, do you have spiwit?

I’m not a fan of Monty Python ;).

If you could build the stadium again, what would you add/remove from a supporters perspective?

Would definitely want all 4 stands joined together, as I always feel Stadiums with no open corners create a better atmosphere. I would also want a permanent bar for both home/away supporters to use and enjoy.

I can’t think of anything I would want to remove, perhaps the food kiosk as it doesn’t sell that many nice foods!

And finally, the answers provided by Doug:

How long have you supported Colchester United?

16 years.

Where did you finish last season?

13th.

What do you think of your Manager?

McGreal is a developing coach who is growing into the role. He, and the management team, have improved the squad but I would like to see better use being made of substitutions, it can be a little too much like for like rather than changing up things.

What are your hopes and expectations for this season?

You hope for automatic promotion, but realistically, I think, our target is the playoffs. We aren’t consistent enough for the top three.

One(s) to watch?

Our top scorer Luke Norris has impressed with his physicality and finishing, Harry Pell adds the same physicality to midfield, Ryan Jackson has had a consistent season at right back/right wing back, error on Tuesday notwithstanding.

Who do you think will finish in the top 7?

I think the current top three will be there at the end. For the playoffs, it’s a lottery but I’ll go for Forest Green, Bury, Stevenage and us.

Who do you think will finish in the bottom 2?

Macclesfield Town and Cheltenham Town.

What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?

I wondered how you’d react to just missing out last season, but you have a good management team who know what they want and how they want to play and the additions suit your system. I think you’ll win the division comfortably.

What do you think the score will be?

We lost on Tuesday and, so far, we haven’t lost two in a row. We normally score. I’ll be optimistic and go for s 2-1 win.

What will your likely default formation and style of play be for this season?

Difficult as we switch between 433/4231/352. I think he may keep to the at the back tomorrow.

Random fact about your Club?

You need to speak to our stats wizard Laitty, the only random thing I know about us is some of the randoms who follow us.

If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?

I’ve always liked Andrade and am glad he’s got his chance back in the league. Plus I have a soft spot for QPR and it’s good to see players from there doing well when they didn’t get a chance at Loftus Road.

What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as a Colchester United Supporter?

Reaching the Championship is the highlight, any one of our numerous defeats to non-league clubs – Bedlington Terriers and Chelmsford stand out.

Who would you say is your most underrated player?

Tom Lapslie. Every club needs someone who does the dirty work in midfield.

Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?

We have a supporters club, but their role is mainly arranging away travel for their members. The club is owned and run by the Chairman, there’s not a lot of other input.

Which was your favourite match involving Colchester United?

Norwich 1 Colchester 7 with a special mention for the 0-0 at Yeovil that secured promotion to the Championship.

Which was your least favourite match involving Colchester United?

That I’ve witnessed, Chelmsford 3 Colchester 1.

As the erstwhile capital of Roman Britain, do you have spiwit?

Very good. Yes, there’s a decent spirit at the moment, particularly when we welease Nowwis.

If you could build the stadium again, what would you add/remove from a supporters perspective?

I’d build the whole thing nearer civilization, including safe standing and make the recently added pop-up supporters bar a permanent fixture with decent beer on tap.

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