Colchester Utd (A) League One Sat Oct 12th

[Welsh_Saddler]

Back on the road next Saturday, to the Weston Homes Community Stadium - home of Colchester United. It's an identi-kit to Shrewsbury's accommodation with a capacity of 10,000. Colchester currently occupy 14th place in the League One table with 11 points and a -4 goal difference (9-13). They had a brilliant start to the season winning their first two games, but it's gone a bit pear-shaped since then with 5 draws and 3 defeats. The last six League games were:

31 Aug Leyton Orient (H) Lost 1-2
8 Sept Coventry City (A) Lost 0-2
14 Sept Bradford City (A) Drew 2-2
21 Sept Crawley Town (H) Drew 1-1
28 Sept Bristol City (A) Drew 1-1
5 Oct Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) Lost 0-3

Quite a few connections with Walsall F.C. over the years - Roy McDonough was their manager from 1991 to 1994, and the current manager (Joe Dunne) has a certain Mark Kinsella as his Assistant. A further link comes in the shape of their leading goalscorer this season - Jabo Ibehre with 3 to his credit. Like ourselves, Colchester use the loan market to advantage, and three such players (Jeffrey Monakana, Matt Taylor and Luke Garbutts) are in Joe Dunne's "urgent" pile as he seeks to extend their loans, which are about to expire.

Colchester's big pay-day (apart from dumping Leeds United out of the F.A. Cup) was when they sold Greg Halford to Reading in 2007 for a reported £2.5 million, and the most they've ever spent on a player was £400,000 to Cheltenham for Steven Gillespie in 2008. The Reading money must have been burning a hole in the pocket!

It would be nice to get the taste of Bradford out of our mouths with a convincing win, but as Colchester have drawn half of their League games I'm going for a 1-1 result, with our goal coming from Andy Taylor.

[Magic Man Fan]

Probably win 2-0 as we're set up to play away.

[leics_saddler]

Colchester to trash us 2-0 in a Dingle backlash.
Their goals by Jabo and Hitler's testicle.

[BathSaddler]

A 0-0 draw, in front of 3,110.

[Sadders]

A couple of games against less fancied teams coming up before Swindon away and Coventry at home, 2 more very tough games. Colchester are having lots of injury troubles, but we have only won 1 in 14 in that corner of the world (Gillingham, Colchester, Southend). I'd fancy us to take at least a point and potentially all 3, but I hate Colchester and we frequently serve up dross down there.

I'll go for a point a piece.

1-1 with a late goal from Butler.

[tinned]

A couple of games against less fancied teams coming up before Swindon away and Coventry at home, 2 more very tough games. Colchester are having lots of injury troubles, but we have only won 1 in 14 in that corner of the world (Gillingham, Colchester, Swindon). I'd fancy us to take at least a point and potentially all 3, but I hate Colchester and we frequently serve up dross down there.

I'll go for a point a piece.

1-1 with a late goal from Butler.

How the hell do you manage to slot Swindon into "that corner of the world"?

[Sadders]

Woops, edited in Southend. That's what happens when you press submit before reading your post! They aren't that far away anyway :shock: :wink:

[Andy_Petterson]

Woops, edited in Southend. That's what happens when you press submit before reading your post! They aren't that far away anyway :shock: :wink:

Does that mean your 1 win in 14 stat is wrong too?

[Sadders]

It's roughly that I believe. We are eternally rubbish in this corner of the world. I think a 2-0 away win at Colchester about 3 or 4 years back when Mark Hughes scored was the last time we won down there.

[latviancheese]

I cant remember us beating Colchester any other time than when we scraped a win at home last year. A strange and anonymous team in my memory.

[Pedagogue]

I saw us win at Layer Road!

[tinned]

I saw us win at Layer Road!

Was it in black and white?

[Cheesebag]

2-0 Win with 310 sexy half naked saddlers rubbing ketchup into each others bodies

[KoloSaddler]

1-0. Chambers 67 mins

Evo to buy all the ladies in the away end ice cream in exchange for a kiss.

268 Saddlers.

[KoloSaddler]

I remember we won on a Friday night and had a player sent off.

[Magic Man Fan]

I remember we won on a Friday night and had a player sent off.

I was on holiday then and remember trying to keep up with the score in Linekers bar on Sky Sports, drinking pints of vodka red bull for 350 pesetas (£1) :shock:

Was it Roper that got sent off, or scored? One it the other.

Anyway, the new Colchester ground is one of the few places I can't bring myself to go to twice, so we'll definitely win.

[Andy W Taylor]

I don't think our overall record against the U's is that bad, especially at home (won our last 2 against them at the Banks's). We have won at the Pain-To-Park Stadium since they moved there, although admittedly that was on our 1st visit in 2008 and we've lost the 4 other games there since (mostly due to dodgy reffing decisions involving unwarranted red cards, penalties, and lack of understanding of the off-side rule), but I wouldn't say they were a bogey side.

Think we're good enough for at least a point this time - but it probably depends on the officials. :evil:

[4143]

I don't think our overall record against the U's is that bad, especially at home (won our last 2 against them at the Banks's). We have won at the Pain-To-Park Stadium since they moved there, although admittedly that was on our 1st visit in 2008 and we've lost the 4 other games there since (mostly due to dodgy reffing decisions involving unwarranted red cards, penalties, and lack of understanding of the off-side rule), but I wouldn't say they were a bogey side.

I think the 5-0 is still in a lot of people's minds. It certainly is mine. :|

[Fray Bentos is God!]

I don't think our overall record against the U's is that bad, especially at home (won our last 2 against them at the Banks's). We have won at the Pain-To-Park Stadium since they moved there, although admittedly that was on our 1st visit in 2008 and we've lost the 4 other games there since (mostly due to dodgy reffing decisions involving unwarranted red cards, penalties, and lack of understanding of the off-side rule), but I wouldn't say they were a bogey side.

I think the 5-0 is still in a lot of people's minds. It certainly is mine. :|

I was there man, I was fudge there!

[PT]

I remember a 3-1 defeat at Layer Road and exchanging some lovely banter with Roy Mcdonagh.

Haven't been to the new one yet. One of the few in our league I haven't done, but going there for the sake of doing takes a lot of energy and everything I hear and read about it dampens any enthusiasm I can muster - not least our record there.

We will win 2-0 (Beech and Serella)

[DonningtonSaddler]

We should win this but I am going for a 2 - 2 draw.

Baxendale and Hewit for us with Jabo getting two late goals and therefore demonstrating what a Plan B looks like.

[saddlerphil]

I reckon we might just do it??
Mark Prudhoe in goal will play a blinder
Sorfiane Zaaboub & Stefan Oakes to bang in a couple
With Lee Beevers for them
1-2
4675 (459)

UTS!!!

[Welsh_Saddler]

Line-up at Colchester today:

O'Donnell

Taylor
Chambers
Chambers
Butler
Downing

Featherstone
Mantom

Westcarr
Hemmings
Baxendale

Substitutes: Purkiss, Lewis, Benning, Hewitt, Sawyers, McQuilkin, Gray

[Fray Bentos is God!]

The away tactic at an away match.

[Welsh_Saddler]

Walsall corner after 36 seconds......Baxendale has goal-bound shot saved after a minute......the sign of things to come? :shock:

[DonningtonSaddler]

Goal. Sears :(

[Welsh_Saddler]

Well, of course.....in the first 5 minutes we have two shots and two corners, and then a minute later we go 1-0 down. It's only to be expected, and it's a further test of this team's character. (he said, more in hope than realistic anticipation) :(

Meanwhile there is activity elsewhere...... Stevenage 0 Brentford 1 (Edit - now 1-1)

Updating, we have Shrewsbury Town 1 Gillingham 0

[Welsh_Saddler]

The BBC's updating text service seems to have gone on strike - the last activity they have is Andy Butler fouling Jabo Ibehre after 15 minutes, and that was 13 minutes ago!!

Meanwhile, try Preston North End 0 Crewe Alexandra 1 .......also Stevenage 2 Brentford 1 (both after 26 minutes)

(Edit - text service back on, but it says there has been a delay due to a Colchester player's injury. He hasn't been subbed, so all seems well)

28 minutes - Baxendale shot hits the bar......Come on, me babbies!!!

[Welsh_Saddler]

One or two surprise results on their way, perhaps???

Leyton Orient 0 MK Dons 1

Rotherham United 0 Swindon Town 1

We've now had 5 corners.......

[boringteacher]

We've just hammered the bar from Baxendale and have had a good spell - probably should be level listening to the DingleFM commentary (in between reports from various non-league grounds every 30 seconds :twisted: ).