Matt Bloomfield will be going for his first league win as Colchester United boss when Harrogate Town visit the JobServe Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The new U’s Head Coach claimed a first victory on Tuesday evening in North Essex with a 2-1 comeback victory against Charlton Athletic in the Papa Johns Trophy, with Tom Eastman and John Akinde on target.
Bloomfield will be hoping to carry the momentum from that game into this weekend’s action, but will have a few selection decisions to make after naming a side with ten changes in the last fixture.
Tom Eastman starred with a goal and an assist, Sam Hornby put in a fine performance including a penalty save, with plenty of others in with a shout of making the starting eleven for the next League Two action against Harrogate.
The Opposition
Simon Weaver’s side come into the game on a seven-game winless run in the league – a run of form that has seen them drop from ninth to twenty-first in the Sky Bet league Two table; one place above the U’s.
The Sulphurites last game, like Colchester, was on Tuesday evening in the Papa Johns Trophy. Harrogate drew 1-1 with Everton U21, although the Premier League youngsters claimed the additional point on penalties, with Weaver expecting another tough challenge against the U’s.
“They’ve got a lot of experience in their core, but we’ve got to continue from our game last weekend where we played some good football. The pressure was building up a bit, and we could have scored more, which was pleasing that we have started to look more creative. “
Weaver’s side have typically played a 4-2-3-1 formation this season, with last season’s joint-top scorer, Luke Armstrong (below), leading the line for them. He’s been less prolific this campaign with just one in his fourteen appearances this season, coming against Sutton United just over a month ago.
Alex Pattison and Matty Daly lead the scoring charts at the Envirovent Stadium this season with two apiece, playing in the three behind Armstrong.
Former Colchester United man Miles Welch-Hayes has been a regular fixture in the centre of defence for Harrogate this season, with twelve outings in all competitions so far – but he has been out of favour in the last two league games, resigned to the substitutes’ bench.
Between the sticks, summer arrival Peter Jameson has seemingly unseated Mark Oxley as the number one this season. Transferring from National League North side York City in the off-season, Jameson has made twelve appearances in all competitions, with Oxley only making two.
Last Time We Met
The U's turned it around to claim all three points in Yorkshire earlier this year. Jack Muldoon opened the scoring early on for the hosts, but Freddie Sears quickly struck back with his fiftieth goal for the club. He turned provider for the second, sliding the ball over for Noah Chilvers to finish as Wayne Brown's took the win.
Ticket Info
Tickets are available to purchase from Col U Tickets - click HERE to get yours and support the U's against Harrogate Town. Tickets are currently available at the ADVANCE rate - click HERE to see prices for the season.
Tickets will also be available to purchase on the day from the Club Shop, or online from Col U Tickets right up until kick off.
iFollow
If you can't make it to the game on Saturday afternoon, you can keep up with it via iFollow. Audio passes are available for £2.50 in the UK, with video passes available for £10 if you are watching from outside the UK. Click HERE to see what options are available for you.