Colchester United take on West Ham U21s in the second group match of the EFL Trophy at the JobServe Community Stadium this evening.
The U's are looking to get their first points on the board in the competition after suffering defeat at the hands of Portsmouth in their opening game.
But West Ham will not be easy opponents thmselves, as they picked up a win in their opening game - beating Southend United 3-1 at Roots Hall.
Steve Ball spoke after the draw away at Barrow about the upcoming cup clash.
"The EFL Trophy competition is important for the club, and we want to do well in it. Playing against West Ham, it will be nice footballing game to play in and we can't wait for that."
The young West Ham side are managed by former Colchester United academy manager Dmitri Halajko.
After taking over the Hammers' academy in the summer, Halajko has registered just one win this season so far and that was in the EFL Trophy.
Last time out they rescued a point in Premier League 2 away at Southampton with two second half goals from Afolayan and Coventry.
As things stand at the moment, the Irons are top of Southern Group A, with the U's in third after one game each.
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
GS |
GA |
GD |
PTS |
West Ham United U21s |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
+2 |
3 |
Portsmouth |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
+2 |
3 |
Colchester United |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
-2 |
0 |
Southend United |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
-2 |
0 |