Colchester United host Salford City at the JobServe Community Stadium on Friday evening in a game that marks the halfway point through the 2023/24 campaign.
The U’s were unfortunate not to walk away with a point from North Wales last weekend, in the 2-1 loss to high-flying Wrexham – Jayden Fevrier’s late goal couldn’t spark the comeback for Matty Etherington’s side.
However, there was a welcome return for Ellis Iandolo – the left back played his first game since August after recovering from an ankle injury and provided the cross that eventually fell to Fevrier to convert.
Matty Etherington will be hoping to have additional personnel involved from Friday evening with Tom Dallison and Connor Hall both close to a return; with John Akinde and Ellis Iandolo back in contention the U’s are getting closer to a full complement of players to utilise.
The Opposition
Sitting in twentieth position, Salford are only three points and two places above the U’s in the league standings, although Neil Wood’s side do have a game in hand over Colchester.
Like the U’s, the Ammies have struggled for form recently – their last win came on 24th October against Doncaster Rovers, seven games ago. Salford’s last two results have been goalless draws against tough opposition in Stockport County and AFC Wimbledon.
Speaking after the stalemate with the Dons, Wood said it was a good point for his side: “We always feel like we’ve got a chance, and the important thing for us is to not be conceding goals. That’s the positive we have to take out of it from the Stockport game to this game.”
Keeping clean sheets against the top scorers in the league, and seventh place Wimbledon Alex Cairns has been an important player for Salford in recent weeks. The thirty-year-old goalkeeper has twenty-six appearances this season, playing every minute of league action for Neil Wood’s side.
Former Watford and Crystal Palace defender Adrian Mariappa has also been a regular for the Ammies – the thirty-seven-year-old Jamaican has twenty-three outings this season, taking his career appearances over the 500 mark.
In attack, Salford have the joint second top scorer in the division with Matt Smith. The experienced forward has fifteen goals from twenty-six outings in all competitions, fourteen of those coming in the league. Smith has played much of his career at a higher level with the likes of QPR, Fulham and Leeds.
Last Time We Met
Noah Chilvers' first-half strike was enough for the U's against Salford earlier this year. The deflected effort saw the visitors pick up a valuable three points, all-but guaranteeing safety in League Two for 2022/23.
Ticket Info
Tickets remain availbable to purchase online and from the Club Shop ahead of the game - click HERE for more information on pricing and to purchase.
iFollow Info
Friday's match will be availble to stream live on iFollow in the UK and across the world. Video passes (£10) and audio passes (£2.50) are both available - click HERE to get yours.
