| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's 13:13 - May 2 with 2182 views | durham_exile |
TH takes charge of his Colchester United team for 90 minutes of Season defining football against the Lilywhites tomorrow.
This is the third successive season where the U's have required something from the final game, and arguably this is the most important. Sam Walker and Tom Eastman have been involved in them all. Frankly they deserve better.
Both teams need to win and that is going to create some incredible tension. PNE will have 3,000 supporters in hopefully a 10,000 capacity crowd which will be televised live on Sky Sports 2.
Social Media will maintain up to the second score updates and Sky will show through their on screen graphics the ever changing picture. There are 6 teams trying to avoid the 3 remaining relegation places and two teams vying for automatic promotion. The losing team in the latter mini-competition will at least have the cushion of a play off spot, but it will feel like abject failure.
In my 43 years of supporting the U's I have witnessed all the relegation and promotion games, the demise of our Football League status and the magnificent return to the league again. THAT game at Huish Park in May 2006 plus all the key Wembley games; but nothing is more important than tomorrow's match at Fortress WHCS.
I do not agree with those who state that relegation to league two is acceptable for the club. We are looking to grow the club, to further develop a training facility and to encourage the people of Colchester to back their professional football club. One poor season in league two and we would be back in the wilderness from which some clubs have never recovered.
Development requires recruiting better players and retaining those who we have brought through the youth development scheme. League Two football will set the club back at a time when finance is more crucial than ever.
Neither do I agree with this punching above our weight nonsense. Try telling that to Eddie Howe and Bournemouth. Teams are where they are on merit after 46 games; put simply the league table doesn't lie.
In our case, 12 home league defeats is the reason for our predicament not the failure to protect leads against Scunny or Gillingham, they may have contributed, but you cannot drop 36 points at home (not including the drawn matches) and expect that all will be well.
We must approach the game tomorrow with commitment, passion, skill, determination and no suggestion of inferiority. Of course PNE are a good team, a glance at the table tells you that, but we have already defeated the best team in League one in a pulsating game at the WHCS and we can win tomorrow without any doubt.
The Lilywhites are on an 18 match unbeaten run, whilst we have definitely shown over the past few games that we are capable of surviving for another year.
TH's task is simple to win the game. Nothing else will do or will be good enough.
Current table:
Coventry 45 12 16 17 47 59 -12 52
Crewe 45 14 10 21 43 74 -31 52
Notts Co 45 12 14 19 44 60 -16 50
Crawley 45 13 11 21 52 77 -25 50
COL U 45 13 10 22 57 77 -20 49
Orient 45 12 12 21 57 67 -10 48
Yeovil 45 10 10 25 35 70 -35 40 (R)
The vital games:
Colchester v Preston
Crawley Town v Coventry City
Crewe v Bradford
Gillingham v Notts Co
MK Dons v Yeovil
Swindon v Orient
Even a win doesn't guarantee success; but relegation on 52 points would be desperately unlucky. I am not going to worry about the permutations, we can do nothing to influence those games, but we can win our game.
TH will keep faith with his current squad of players and probably ask the eleven heroes who won at the Cod Army from a position of potential relegation with less than 5 minutes remaining to start again on Sunday lunchtime.
The back four have cemented their positions for tomorrow. Sam Walker is already a legend at the club. The outstanding Bongani Khumalo plays his last game for the club before returning to Spurs. Richard Brindley has been excellent since arriving from Rotherham on loan, Tom Eastman has once again had a solid season and Matt Briggs has proved a useful loan acquisition from Millwall.
In midfield Gilbey, Fox and Moncur have been outstanding whilst Chris Porter has brought experience to add to Gavin Massey's work rate and Jacob Murphy's (Norwich loanee) talent.
4, 3, 3
Walker
Brindley Khumalo Eastman Briggs
Gilbey Fox Moncur
Massey Porter Murphy
Subs:
Lewington, Wynter, Szmodics, Lapslie, Bonne Sembie-Ferris Healey
Tomorrow is all about belief and setting aside differences, whatever the significant minority who want TH out may think, togetherness and support is key for survival. There can be no division only unity.
I remember when we played Stoke in the Championship at Layer Road (they were poised for promotion to the top table) and a section of their support unfurled banners with "Pulis out" on them and I wondered what idiots those so called supporters must have been.
Tomorrow is not about disunity or disagreements. Recriminations may come later (if the worst occurs) but the team requires our support and to focus solely on defeating the Lilywhites.
Win tomorrow and it can be another one of those great memories for all Colchester supporters to reflect upon. Where were you on 3 May 2015 at 2pm when Colchester once again survived another year in league one.
Let us make sure that it the Barside boys making all the noise at 2pm on Sunday afternoon.
Defeat is not an option.
Keep the faith.
Enjoy the game.
Up the U's
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 15:57 - May 3 with 885 views | durham_exile |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 15:52 - May 3 by BluenWightExile |
Plymouth?
Ghastly place - remember the play-off defeat in 95 with Sheedys screamer? Awful place, ground and supporters. No thankyou! |
And Warnock was their manager, enough said.
Up the U's | |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 16:27 - May 3 with 872 views | Barsidepete |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 15:52 - May 3 by BluenWightExile |
Plymouth?
Ghastly place - remember the play-off defeat in 95 with Sheedys screamer? Awful place, ground and supporters. No thankyou! |
I was just asking, Alastair.
As I said, never been there, Plymouth. So you prefer Wycombe?
On another thread I wrote, it's like the Twilight Zone all around. And The U's did the great escape.
Today is as memorable as ColU 1-0 Ipswich at Layer Fortress. I don't know what to compare it to in recent memory. |  |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 23:24 - May 3 with 808 views | durham_exile |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 16:27 - May 3 by Barsidepete |
I was just asking, Alastair.
As I said, never been there, Plymouth. So you prefer Wycombe?
On another thread I wrote, it's like the Twilight Zone all around. And The U's did the great escape.
Today is as memorable as ColU 1-0 Ipswich at Layer Fortress. I don't know what to compare it to in recent memory. |
Pete:
It compares favourably with:
Colchester 4 Brentford 1
Carlisle 0 Colchester 2
Previous two seasons last games.
Today we were confident, assured and not affected by a penalty miss.
Wish we could get 8,500 every home game.
But next season we are heading for the top six instead.
Up the U's | |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 23:42 - May 3 with 804 views | Barsidepete |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 23:24 - May 3 by durham_exile |
Pete:
It compares favourably with:
Colchester 4 Brentford 1
Carlisle 0 Colchester 2
Previous two seasons last games.
Today we were confident, assured and not affected by a penalty miss.
Wish we could get 8,500 every home game.
But next season we are heading for the top six instead.
Up the U's |
Pete, you're right. I didn't look at it that way.
Mentioned that I attended a defeat on one trip over and The U's were rock bottom 24th.
Today involved a lot of other factors where the stars had to align.
I believe that there will be a new optimism in terms of attendances 15/16. And some of that may come from people fed up with the Premier League product and returning to grass roots support of clubs, even Braintree, for instance.
The future looks bright. I today have not a sour word for TH. He did what was asked of him. And being in league 1 for another term --let's recall that took eons to achieve, right?-- good players will stay and we will again lure quality loanees. There is already a clear pipeline as big clubs respect what we do.
Sadly, if Ipswich or Norwich go up, we can see a few more of em down here for a vacay spell. But whatever.
Can we get Freddie Sears back? 
This is going to be one happy summer. Absolutely brilliant. Hope springs eternal.
We get back to the Championship? There is your 8-9000 per fixture.
Gotta work on better home form. Oh and I'll say it again, that disgusting 3-2 defeat at the hands of Crawley. One can easily point to a few lapses where a relegation fear should never have come into play. | |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 01:30 - May 4 with 789 views | RSCOSWORTH |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 23:24 - May 3 by durham_exile |
Pete:
It compares favourably with:
Colchester 4 Brentford 1
Carlisle 0 Colchester 2
Previous two seasons last games.
Today we were confident, assured and not affected by a penalty miss.
Wish we could get 8,500 every home game.
But next season we are heading for the top six instead.
Up the U's |
Not wanting to nitpick but our final game last season was a 1-0 win away at Walsall and we were essentially already safe from relegation due to our vastly superior goal difference over Tranmere. |  |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 11:10 - May 4 with 749 views | durham_exile |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 01:30 - May 4 by RSCOSWORTH |
Not wanting to nitpick but our final game last season was a 1-0 win away at Walsall and we were essentially already safe from relegation due to our vastly superior goal difference over Tranmere. |
RS you are absolutely right, forgive my exuberance on such an eventful and emotive day.
What I should have added is that I attended both those key matches.
Up the U's | |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 12:12 - May 4 with 734 views | Barsidepete |
Just watched, on YouTube, Dons fans reaction to Colchester's goal.
It's actually kind of poignant. One can assume there will never be much animosity at the Super U's in that neck of the woods.
In fact, when we are returned to the Championship, will probably get a standing ovation at the stadium mk, and then, of course, game on.
Bittersweet, yes. But 17,000 (less the traveling Yeovil supporters) were in bliss and cheering for the U's survival, and otherwise. We may be one of Milton Keynes guilty pleasures forever, following our fate, and hoping to welcome us as we are promoted.
Strange days  .. no one in Preston was cheering for us. That's perspective. [Post edited 4 May 2015 12:14]
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 12:24 - May 4 with 723 views | wessex_exile |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 12:12 - May 4 by Barsidepete |
Just watched, on YouTube, Dons fans reaction to Colchester's goal.
It's actually kind of poignant. One can assume there will never be much animosity at the Super U's in that neck of the woods.
In fact, when we are returned to the Championship, will probably get a standing ovation at the stadium mk, and then, of course, game on.
Bittersweet, yes. But 17,000 (less the traveling Yeovil supporters) were in bliss and cheering for the U's survival, and otherwise. We may be one of Milton Keynes guilty pleasures forever, following our fate, and hoping to welcome us as we are promoted.
Strange days .. no one in Preston was cheering for us. That's perspective. [Post edited 4 May 2015 12:14]
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Actually, a great many of the PNE fans still in the ground when the official news was broadcasted over the tannoy gave us a warm round of applause. |  |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 12:48 - May 4 with 718 views | Barsidepete |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 12:24 - May 4 by wessex_exile |
Actually, a great many of the PNE fans still in the ground when the official news was broadcasted over the tannoy gave us a warm round of applause. |
And we knew that MKD would destroy Yeovil. That was a given.
But that wasn't really my point. If PNE make it to Wembley and win, then justice will be served.
As it shaped up, Preston had to win and so did the U's ..
Dons GD meant that if it ended in say a 1-1, PNE would still be in the same spot, "merely" playoffs and our U's down.
Preston gave us a polite round of applause. That is true. But up north, teley screens were probably being smashed. | |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 18:42 - May 4 with 673 views | durham_exile |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 12:48 - May 4 by Barsidepete |
And we knew that MKD would destroy Yeovil. That was a given.
But that wasn't really my point. If PNE make it to Wembley and win, then justice will be served.
As it shaped up, Preston had to win and so did the U's ..
Dons GD meant that if it ended in say a 1-1, PNE would still be in the same spot, "merely" playoffs and our U's down.
Preston gave us a polite round of applause. That is true. But up north, teley screens were probably being smashed. |
I see the Blades running around Wembley with the Play Off Trophy!
up the U's | |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 19:58 - May 4 with 653 views | BFG |
What a great day for Col U. I read earlier that this is the first result that has made the new stadium feel like home. Spot on. |  | | |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 21:10 - May 4 with 641 views | gerry_us |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 18:42 - May 4 by durham_exile |
I see the Blades running around Wembley with the Play Off Trophy!
up the U's |
Pete. Will still leave us a load of fixtures "up North" next season even if the Blades leave us; revenge against Chessie hopefully. It certainly wasn't looking good for possible Div 2 fixtures.
One complaint about Sunday if I'm being really pickey, why did TH wait until 80 minutes to being on Sammy and Sembie-Ferris? They ran Preston ragged for the rest of the game. Looking forward to next season already especially with all the youngsters to come in on a more regular basis.
Point for the future. We beat both promoted clubs at WHCS. |  | | |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 00:11 - May 5 with 615 views | durham_exile |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 21:10 - May 4 by gerry_us |
Pete. Will still leave us a load of fixtures "up North" next season even if the Blades leave us; revenge against Chessie hopefully. It certainly wasn't looking good for possible Div 2 fixtures.
One complaint about Sunday if I'm being really pickey, why did TH wait until 80 minutes to being on Sammy and Sembie-Ferris? They ran Preston ragged for the rest of the game. Looking forward to next season already especially with all the youngsters to come in on a more regular basis.
Point for the future. We beat both promoted clubs at WHCS. |
Hi Gerry,
I'm looking forward to 16 away games next season in the North and Midlands - great stuff.
TH has played the same squad for the past 5 games or so. The same team starting for the last 4 games.
He tends to bring Sembie-Ferris and or Szmodics or Bonne on after 75+ mins as replacements for Murphy and Gilbey.
Next season we will see more of the youngsters but we must hang on to them, because TV coverage ironically will not have helped our retention cause!
Good to see that our 7 home victories included the wins against BC and PNE.
Looking forward to the League One fixtures already!
Up the U's | |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 00:21 - May 5 with 613 views | Barsidepete |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 00:11 - May 5 by durham_exile |
Hi Gerry,
I'm looking forward to 16 away games next season in the North and Midlands - great stuff.
TH has played the same squad for the past 5 games or so. The same team starting for the last 4 games.
He tends to bring Sembie-Ferris and or Szmodics or Bonne on after 75+ mins as replacements for Murphy and Gilbey.
Next season we will see more of the youngsters but we must hang on to them, because TV coverage ironically will not have helped our retention cause!
Good to see that our 7 home victories included the wins against BC and PNE.
Looking forward to the League One fixtures already!
Up the U's |
MK Dons 6-0 Colchester, that is a chin-scratcher, in hindsight, Pete.
Also Chesterfield 6-0.
But wins v Bristol City, 3-2 v Brizzle.
Naturally the 1-0 v Preston
and, frankly, a decent 0-1 v Dons
What a season.
As you said, the squad has stabilized. This should bode well in August. What a roller-coaster, though. | |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 11:28 - May 5 with 591 views | durham_exile |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 00:21 - May 5 by Barsidepete |
MK Dons 6-0 Colchester, that is a chin-scratcher, in hindsight, Pete.
Also Chesterfield 6-0.
But wins v Bristol City, 3-2 v Brizzle.
Naturally the 1-0 v Preston
and, frankly, a decent 0-1 v Dons
What a season.
As you said, the squad has stabilized. This should bode well in August. What a roller-coaster, though. |
Pete,
What we are beginning to see over the past 6 weeks slowly but surely is an improvement in the previously lamentable home form this season.
Colchester Home results (only) since the Huddersfield Town 0-0 First League Match at WHCS August 2008 (we both attended that game).
2008/2009.......7 4 12 21 24
2009/2010.......15 5 3 37 21
2010/2011........12 7 4 38 30
2011/2012........8 11 4 38 33
2012/2013........8 4 11 25 31
2013/2014........8 5 10 29 29
2014/2015........7 4 12 30 36
Not inspiring, but hope springs eternal.
Up the U's
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 16:17 - May 5 with 583 views | Barsidepete |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 11:28 - May 5 by durham_exile |
Pete,
What we are beginning to see over the past 6 weeks slowly but surely is an improvement in the previously lamentable home form this season.
Colchester Home results (only) since the Huddersfield Town 0-0 First League Match at WHCS August 2008 (we both attended that game).
2008/2009.......7 4 12 21 24
2009/2010.......15 5 3 37 21
2010/2011........12 7 4 38 30
2011/2012........8 11 4 38 33
2012/2013........8 4 11 25 31
2013/2014........8 5 10 29 29
2014/2015........7 4 12 30 36
Not inspiring, but hope springs eternal.
Up the U's
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This is true. flew over for the first ever in the Wessie, Pete.
As you say, hope springs eternal.
I'm still unable to not float... TH, just keep us less worried, ok? We don't ask for much. Perhaps that was Mr Cowling's notion, TH did well with the youths. He now has em in front of his face.
Onward and upward, The U's. | |
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| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 09:12 - May 7 with 534 views | durham_exile |
| Sunday - Day of reckoning at the WHCS - Up the Super U's on 16:17 - May 5 by Barsidepete |
This is true. flew over for the first ever in the Wessie, Pete.
As you say, hope springs eternal.
I'm still unable to not float... TH, just keep us less worried, ok? We don't ask for much. Perhaps that was Mr Cowling's notion, TH did well with the youths. He now has em in front of his face.
Onward and upward, The U's. |
Pete - top 6 next season for the Super U's
The evidence is clear (recent form) and the mixture of youth and experience will stand us in good stead.
Up the U's | |
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