Up the Us
Up the Us Promoted to the football league in 1950, Colchester United have spent all but two seasons in the bottom two divisions, bouncing between the third and fourth tiers on a regular basis. Howe...
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Wow I have never seen an assist chart like that! So many players with over 5 assists, that is great to see in a squad.
Chelsea will be a great final. Top of the PL against League 1 winners. Will have to be your biggest upset yet if you want to win it all..
U’s Stun Premier League Champions
In what is probably the biggest upset in modern football at least, Colchester United beat Premier League champions Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
The League 1 champions got off to the best possible start when Fabien Louis danced past the Chelsea defence and scored in the 4th minute – something that Col U have done several times this season and a trait that the Chelsea management should have been aware of. Louis’ second goal came from a Chelsea corner, after it was cleared to Marcel Ruiz, who put the young Frenchman through with a first-time pass. It was a classic rapid counter-attack, which has also been a feature of Colchester’s play against the bigger sides all season.
Ebereche Eze pulled one back for Chelsea, who had camped in the Colchester half, and we thought that would lead to an avalanche from the Premier League champions, but it was Noah Chilvers who scored next, latching on to a loose ball in the penalty area during a rare Colchester attack, to send the minnows in to the half-time break 3-1 up.
The second half was all Chelsea traffic, and Nicolas Jackson made it 3-2 with a well-taken shot on 53 minutes, but the U’s held on and scored another breakaway goal – Louis’ third – in time added on at the end of the match to record a 4-2 scoreline that was not reflective of the game as a whole.
“I’m lost for words” said manager Danny Cowley. “What can I say, other than a huge ‘thank you’ to all the fans, the staff, the players and the whole of Colchester for the support and hard work that has led to this.”
When he was reminded that, apart from the historic nature of the win, this trophy means that Colchester will be in the Europa League next season, his reaction was of shock. “You know, I never thought of that. We were simply focused on giving a good account of ourselves.
“It’s something else we’ll have to plan for. Simply amazing.”
38% possession and a final win. Jose himself would be proud!
Great win, this changes things big time next season. Not only do you have the grueling Championship schedule but also Europa added into it. The squad depth will be important.
Planning for Next Season has Begun
Danny Cowley: The work never stops
An interview with Danny Cowley has revealed the thinking behind next season.
Q: What are the priorities going to be for next season – consolidation or a promotion push?
DC: Let’s not get that far ahead! The Championship is a big step up, so we’ll approach it from the perspective of a game at a time and see where we go – at least in the early stages.
Q: How does Europe affect your thinking?
DC: We know we have at least six European games to fit in before Christmas. That adds to the workload, so we’ll have to keep a decent-sized squad. We don’t know what the opposition will be yet, so we don’t know how to approach those games and how they affect the side for the games either side. It’s an interesting challenge.
Q: Talking about the squad, what’s the likely change there? What budget will you have?
DC: I would be very silly to mention a number, as that makes you a hostage to negotiations. We have some thoughts about who might go and where we’ll need to bring people in as a result. Last season, we developed a lot of academy promotees because we had the games to play them in. We are confident many of those can make the step up to Championship football. Let’s wait and see.
Q: But do you expect a lot of change?
DC: We will see changes. How many, I couldn’t possibly say at this point.
Q: It’s going to be an exciting season. The ground is being expanded, too. What are you hoping for?
DC: Big crowds, enjoying exciting, hopefully winning football. The more the merrier!
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