Funny coincidence to see both 4-1 away wins (Stockport County and Nottingham Forest) coming to life with a Tovide hattrick. A man for the big occasion! Impressively followed by a 5-0 win at Wrexham... Hmm... Three big away wins there. Are you better away from home?
Thrilling Draw Against Newport
The U’s home match against Newport County saw an eight-goal thriller, as the two sides traded blows, including another Samson Tovide hat-trick. Newport took the lead through Charsley on 23 minutes, only to go into the break 2-1 down after Tovide struck twice. Charsley pulled them level again before Tovide completed his hat-trick, and then Olav Petersen seemed to make the points safe at 4-2, but a late comeback by County saw the match finish level.
“It’s unusual for us to do that,” said manager Danny Cowley. “We’ll have to worn on concentration this week.”
Apart from that, two fairly routine league wins, against Harrogate Town and Mansfield Town, saw the U’s keep pace with Wrexham at the top.
Ezra Fox Promoted
Striker Ezra Fox (17) has been promoted to the first team squad.
The young Englishman is the latest of the academy conveyor belt to make it into the first team.
“Ezra is a real prospect and, despite what I previously said about holding academy players back until the end of the season, he needed to come into the fold now. We think he’ll get a few goals in the remainder of the season, and that’s a real plus.”
“I am excited to make the step up,” said the youngster. “I want to help the team do well and hopefully get promotion this year.”
There are a number of other players who could well make the transition, making for an exciting 2024-25 season, if their performances in the academy leagues is anything to go by, finally realising the dreams of the owner, who has made it his mission to develop the U’s own talent for several years now.
Cup Exit and Cup Progress
The U’s finally left the FA Cup in the 5th round, falling to a 2-1 defeat at home to Championship Norwich City after extra time. Olav Petersen actually put the U’s in front, before the Canaries equalised before half time. No further goals in the second half meant extra time, and the U’s simply ran out of steam. Armstrong settled it for Norwich in the 104th minute.
Prior to that, the U’s reached the final of the BSM Trophy with a good 3-1 victory at League 1 Reading; the first time they have reached a final for one of the ‘league’ cups. Their only previous cup final was the FA Trophy, the non-league equivalent of the FA Cup, which they won at the time. Bradley Ihionvien scored the goal of the game, shooting from just inside the U’s half in the 93rd minute, as Reading’s goalie had come up from a corner which was cleared to the striker.
In between, the U’s beat Grimsby Town 4-3 to keep the pressure on Wrexham at the top of the table. The U’s are 2 points behind with 2 games in hand – a consequence of their progress in every cup competition this season.
Samson Tovide continues to lead the League 2 scoring chart, 5 clear of Crawley’s Orsi, as we head towards the end of the season. It’s been a fine year for the young striker.
League Progress
The U’s took 7 points from the next three games, with away wins over Gillingham and Crewe and a home draw against Notts County.
Satoshi Takahashi opened the scoring against the Gills to maintain his fine scoring form. Danny Cowley has started playing him on the left, from where he can cut in more, and the youngster seems to have got the message.
Takahashi scores against the Gills
Max Dean added to his tally to complete the scoring at the Priestfield Stadium, making it 6 goals in all competitions since the striker arrived in January.
The match against Notts County was harder, with possession 50/50 and the oldest professional club in the world never giving up. Samson Tovide thought he’d won it in the 80th minute, but Robertson scored in the last minute to send County home with a point.
Ruiz celebrates his goal
Crewe outplayed the U’s at the Mornflake Stadium, but an early goal from Bradley Ihionvien ensured that the U’s went home with all three points to keep pressure on Wrexham at the top of the table.
Cup History for U’s and Promotion Secured
It may only be the BSM Trophy, but Colchester United created history by winning their first ever league-based knockout trophy, when they beat Bolton Wanderers 4-1 at Wembley. Their only other trophy was the non-league FA Trophy, won in 1992 when they also secured promotion back to the football league as Champions of what was then the Football Conference.
At Wembley, the U’s scored first via Samson Tovide, before the higher-division Bolton equalised on half time. The early stages of the second half were a massive fight between the two teams, before Marcel Ruiz put the U’s ahead on 70 minutes, after which Colchester ran away with it.
“What a fabulous day for the players, club and fans.” Said manager Danny Cowley. “We’ve worked hard to make this happen and it’s a bit of real history for the club – something we’ll remember always.”
Colchester also secured promotion to League 1, as did “Hollywood Wrexham”, with the latter securing back-to-back promotions. Tranmere Rovers currently occupy 4th place and cannot get to the U’s total even if they win all their matches and the U’s lose all theirs. Colchester stay in second place, only 1 point behind Wrexham with two matches in hand. The title is certainly a strong possibility as we move into April.
Congratulations with the trophy. 4-1 at Wembley, that's quite a margin against a side from a superior league. Certainly looks like you're ready for a move up. You can even advance as league winners, if you win the games you have in hand. Good luck in the last few months of the season.
Academy Players Shine in the FA Youth Cup
Colchester United’s young players took the club the furthest they have ever been in the FA Youth Cup, when they lost 4-2 to Chelsea under-18s in the Quarter Final. The U’s had never been that far in the competition before, their previous best finish being in the round before the quarter finals in 2018 and 2005. The achievement underlines the progress being made in the youth development at the club, with a number of fine performances by players expected to move up into the first-team squad this summer.
The U’s goals were scored by Xisco Aguilar (left) and Fabian Louis, both 16 and strikers and both of whom are stand-out prospects for promotion. Other notable performances came from midfielder Felipe Gonzalez (16) on the left, and attacking midfielder Ryan Norton (17) and, whilst the defence shipped 4 goals, it is clear that manager Danny Cowley could easily be promoting goalkeeper Arthur Gardiner (17; soon to be 18) and a couple of defenders.
Given that the U’s will be moving up a level next season and therefore the matches will be that much harder, it will be interesting to see how and when the manager brings the players in but, as Sir Matt Busby once said “If they’re good enough, they’re old enough.”
“We have really moved our academy up a level this season,” said Cowley. “Some of these players have been picked up from bigger clubs who have decided to move them on, but we feel they have a real chance at our level, and they have the character and ability to prove their previous clubs wrong.”
Season 2024-25 could well prove to be an exciting one for Col U fans.
Nice batch of youngsters coming in, I see: nice.
Although the FA Youth Cup isn't actually in the game, is it?
Title Within Reach
Col U went to the top of the table in April, with 4 wins and one defeat from their 5 matches.
The month started with defeat at home to Accrington, the Stanley dominating the game with 59% possession. The U’s obviously had a hangover from the celebrations at winning the BSM Trophy.
Normal service was resumed after that, with a run of 4 wins, including a 5-0 hammering of Salford City that saw Satoshi Takahashi score a hat-trick from his new position on the left. All three goals were cut-ins from that side, in a man-of-the- match performance from the academy graduate.
A Wrexham stumble sees the U’s lead the table on goal difference, still having two matches in hand and it seems that the title is now theirs.
Samson Tovide is also almost certain to win the scoring title for the division, leading the way on 29 goals, some 8 ahead of ex-U’s striker Luke Norris, on 21. He is also head and shoulders above the remainder of the team, with 41 goals in all competitions.
A good position to stand there with three games left, and your rivals only have one. I'm in a similar position in mine, always two games behind, gives a team an advantage, doesn't it? Like Man City IRL, always with that game in hand... Awful performance vs Stanley, good cover-up with the hangover, but that was awful compared to your form in any other game. Tovide especially, what a season from him. Now it's just about getting the rest of the games out of the way, before you can focus on preparations for the upcoming season. Interesting how you're going to approach that.
Goodbye League 2
Colchester United waved goodbye to League Two with three consecutive victories in May, all of which saw them score four goals. Star of the month was Bradley Ihionvien, who reminded manager Danny Cowley of his emerging quality with a hat-trick at Barrow on the last day of the season.
Colchester finished 6 points clear of Wrexham in second, and a whopping 39 points clear of fourth-placed Tranmere Rovers. Eventual play-off winners Bradford City finished 7th, 42 points behind the champions.
The fans can now look forward to a League One campaign next season, but Manager Danny Cowley isn’t planning on an extended celebration personally. “We have a lot to do this summer. We have a squad to adjust, contracts to deal with, a transfer window to negotiate and we need to develop our playing style to meet the different demands of League One.
“The work starts now; we have no time to lose.”
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens in the close season and what kind of squad emerges from the merry-go-round of the next three months.
Clearout at Col U
With the start of the close season, Colchester United have announced the fate of a number of players in the squad. A remarkable 10 players have been put up for sale.
Although those players whose contracts were coming up this summer have already been sold, there are a number who are entering into their last season this August. Almost all of them will not be offered an extension, and therefore the following players are ‘on the market’:
The biggest surprises are midfielder Arthur Read and second-top scorer Conor Wilkinson, as both are considered very experienced and amongst the top performers at the club, but this manager is known for his ruthless pursuit of his strategy at other clubs.
At a recent press conference, Manager Danny Cowley explained his strategy. “The demands of League one are different from where we’ve been. The play is quicker and there are some real quality teams in there which means we are not likely to have as much possession. A significant number of teams in League One have enjoyed premier league football and are considerably bigger than us.
“We need different players for where this club is heading. All of the players on the list are unlikely to get as much playing time as they would like next season and it’s only fair to give them the opportunity to go to another club, where they would play more.
“They have been good for us last seasn, they experienced a promotion and I hope they enjoyed that.”
To the question of where the replacements are coming from, he was less forthcoming at this point. All he would say is that the club does not have much money to spend, but will probably use the money from sales to buy ‘one or two’. Does this mean a much slimmed-down squad, or will we see more unattached players coming in?
Good end to the season, good to see Ihonvien impressing late, perhaps keeping a good role for the upcoming season.
Interesting possible clearout. I must say I'm surprised about the decision regarding Read. I was certain that he and Chilvers would be players, you'd want to build your team around. Looking forward to see the comings and goings of the summer.
Contracts Extended
Colchester United have announced that a number of players have had their contracts extended, securing their medium-term future at the club.
Attacking midfielder Noah Chilvers (24) will now be at the club until 2028, as will attacking midfielder Olav Petersen (24). Petersen joined the club last summer as an unattached player and has been a success. Chilvers is an academy product and is considered more than capable at performing in League One.
Left–midfielder Owura Edwards (24) has extended his contract to summer 2027. The former Bristol City player faces stiff competition from Satoshi Takahashi, who has been used on the left with great success during the closing months of the season.
Right-midfielder Jayden Fevrier (22) has also extended to summer 2028. Fevrier was an automatic starter in ‘the first team’ last season.
It comes as no surprise that striker Samson Tovide (21) has signed a new contract. His new contract runs until summer 2029 as the club sought to secure their star 40-goal striker to the longest contract of them all.
Samson Tovide
Bradley Ihionvien’s late-season scoring exploits have secured him a contract extension to summer 2028. The 21-year-old academy product has had a good season and can expect to play a bigger role in League One.
Bradley Ihionvien
“We are pleased to have secured the future of these players with the club.” Said manager Danny Cowley. It’s unusual for a League One (as we are now) side to sign players to such long contracts and this is a sign of the ambition of the owner to develop Colchester United into a higher-level club, with a secure squad. We know these players are going to be big for us, next season.”
Mega Academy Promotion Spree
1 July 2024
Colchester United have announced a string of promotions from the academy, into the first-team squad, in a remarkable vote of confidence in the academy system that manager Danny Cowley has been turbocharging over the last season. The club has promoted the following EIGHT players:
This “class of ‘24” arrives with a huge degree of potential, with Aguilar considered the highest potential of them all.
“It’s been an amazing year for the under-18’s,” said Cowley. “They are all promoted to the first team on merit and I expect that they will push the established players very hard. You don’t get as far as they did in the Youth Cup, and push Chelsea so hard in the round they lost, and not have a chance at becoming a first-team star.”
Given the proposed sales, and the players who have already left, it seems that the graduates with the best chance of making the switch to regular first team football are defenders Alvarez and Nunez, although Fabian Louis and Xisco Aguilar certainly know their way to goal and can expect to at least make the grade as impact substitutes.
It’s certainly going to be an interesting ride, this season.
Aguilar: a massive prospect
"This might not be the end of promotions, either," said Cowley. "We have a few others who might well be promoted as the season unfolds. This is the owner's dream, and has been for several years. I am pleased we can finally make it come true for him."
Player Exodus Starts
15 July
Colchester United’s player exodus has begun, with a significant number of players sold over the last few days.
The biggest transfer fee received was for Arthur Read, who moved to Championship side Coventry City for £1.05 million. In all, the U’s have raised just over £5 million from player sales, so far, including the sale of club captain Connor Hall, who has moved to Italy.
“All of these players leave with our best wishes,” said manager Danny Cowley. “We hope they will all find joy and satisfaction at their new clubs, and have fond memories of their time with us, including the excitement of helping us to promotion last year.”
We understand there is an imminent announcement of arrivals, as the squad looks very thin at this moment.
Free Transfers for Stingy Col U
Colchester United’s incoming players, apart from the academy promotees, have a distinctly tight-fisted look about them, at this time.
Five unattached players have joined the club in the last few days, at the same time as the club has been negotiating the sale of seven players for a combined total of £5 million. The newcomers are:
Manager Danny Cowley pronounced himself ‘well satisfied’ with the dealings so far, despite not spending money. “It’s hard to spend money wisely at this level,” he said. “We want to buy players for the long term, and young, exciting prospects at that. That means picking up youngsters from bigger clubs. At our level, and with our reputation not yet fully formed, it’s difficult to convince a youngster at a premier league club, for instance, to come to us. It will happen eventually, but we aren’t there yet.
“We have had discussions with a number of targets here in the UK, and at the same kind of level abroad, but we haven’t been able to make the case yet.
“Nevertheless, these five players are going to be big for us this year; you can be certain of that.”
Fans could well be justified at being concerned with the transfer dealings so far. It could be a long, hard campaign. The upcoming preseason tournament in the Netherlands will show us what to expect.
Cowley: Happy so Far
Successful Preseason for U’s – Aguilar Starring Debut
Col U had a successful preseason tournament in the Netherlands, bringing home the European International Cup with three wins. Victories against Spata Rotterdam, Huddersfield Town and RAC Ferrol proved decisive and the U’s topped the table.
Star of the tournament, and making his senior debut, was striker Xisco Aguilar, with three goals, He scored on his debut against Rotterdam and put two past Huddersfield Town in the next match.
Xisco Aguilar
“Xisco is going to be big for this club.” Said manager Danny Cowley. “His three goals at this tournament are testament to that, as all three sides we played in this competition are all at higher levels than us, and yet he performed as if he belonged on the pitch.”
Aguilar stats from end of last season, when promoted
Encouragingly, all of the goalscorers in the Huddersfield match were academy promotees, with CDM Alexander Schmitt and CAM Ryan Norton both scoring alongside Aguilar. It's only a friendly match, but it does look encouraging for the U's that youngsters are finding their feet so quickly.
U’s fans were ecstatic and turned out in force, aided by the proximity of the venues to ‘home’; it's just a ferry ride across from the Essex coast, after all. They were typically excited about their new striker. “We’ve seen him in under-18 matches,” said one. “We’ve been dying to see him in action for the first-team proper. There’s another – Fabian Louis – who we think is going to be a star striker, too.
“We are cautiously optimistic about the season ahead.”
Just thinking about wordplays here. "Busby Babes". "Fergie Fledglings". "Cowley Cubs", perhaps?
8 new graduates and 5 teenagers as free agents on top of it. That's 13 new teenagers in the side. In my usual 24-26 player squads that would be at least 50% of the squad, if no one was sent away on loan. Interesting how this is going to turn out. And if any more summer signings are on the way...
The Vata fellow is the only one I've heard about before. He was pretty good for Celtic in my previous Rangers-save, if I'm not mistaken. I also suspect that most of the others (if not all) are generated by the game?
The Aguilar fellow looks class. The +25 growth last season is really something though, ha! Starting as a defensive player, I see, and then you did well to realize a better position for him. Good decision, it seems. I really like that this is possible now, to change positions for the youngsters. If only one could change other things too.
@JustinCase0110
Most of the freebies are game-generated. Interestingly, players like Omari Forson are in the free agents category as well. I scouted him in January and wanted to buy him but he was 'unwilling to move', so I watched to see if he would turn up in the freebies, and he has (he had less than 1 year left on his contract). I haven't snapped him up, though, but I might later if he's still there. Wouldn't you expect the game to place a free ex-United man somewhere else rather quickly?
All of the academy players are game-generated, of course. I had a really good 23-24 season in my youth scouts finding players to bring in to the academy that were going to be 'showing potential' or higher, with Aguilar being the highest of them all. I have 2-3 others I've not yet promoted as well. It's very good, really.
Aguilar was weird. He had potential of 88-94 when I brought him in, but his OVR was 38. He was a defender, and I then moved him to three different positions until his OVR finally jumped high enough to be ready to promote him. I actually moved him to ST and his OVR didn't change much. Then I moved him to CAM and it moved to something like 47, which still wasn't right. I moved him to RW and it moved up a bit more (maybe 51) and in desperation I tried ST again and he finally jumped to 60, which was a strange way of doing it. At one point, I was going to release him but I kept persisting. Why the game does this, I don't really know.
I find it difficult, in the bottom two divisions, to spend money, because anyone with proper potential (say a youngster from a Championship or Premier League side) is always 'unwilling to move at this time'. That's also true of players from the equivalent clubs on the continent. That stops happening when you get to the Championship. Sometimes you can borrow them, but hardly ever buy. It's been like this for years in the game, unfortunately.
@CO88LER5 wrote:I find it difficult, in the bottom two divisions, to spend money, because anyone with proper potential (say a youngster from a Championship or Premier League side) is always 'unwilling to move at this time'. That's also true of players from the equivalent clubs on the continent. That stops happening when you get to the Championship. Sometimes you can borrow them, but hardly ever buy. It's been like this for years in the game, unfortunately.
Weird development for Aguilar. I'm surprised that his OVR didn't jump the first time he was made a striker. Crazy stuff.
I have a similar experience, as the one you mention above. A lot of players are unwilling to move, so I'm also trying a few free transfers and loan players to build a squad for the upcoming League One season (I have ended the League Two season by now, just an update or two behind on that part).
But I actually find it interesting to explore the loan market and not just sign the players I may have visualized beforehand. Takes me in a different direction, when I have these limited options.
