It has been a difficult campaign for Danny Cowley at Colchester United as they sit in 17th place in League Two after winning just two of their opening ten matches. However, after recruiting the likes of Teddy Bishop and Jack Payne in the summer, their squad looks primed to take them further up the table.
The manager has spoken on the progress made by his side ahead of their home tie with Cheltenham at the weekend and reflected on their start to the 2024/25 campaign.
Colchester United Find Victories Hard to Come By
A 2-0 win over Milton Keynes Dons in their first home game of the new season displayed the potential of this Colchester United side. They had goalkeeper Matt Macey to thank for keeping the Dons at bay but the result and performance highlighted that they could pick up results against the best teams in the division.
The U’s finished in 22nd place in 2023/24, narrowly avoiding relegation to the National League. They have continued that level of form since the MK Dons victory, winning just one of the previous eight league fixtures. However, they have shown that they are better equipped to compete at the right end of League Two.
Despite the results, Colchester United rank in the top seven for expected goals and in the top two for total shots per game. They rank first for shots on target per game and are performing well in several attacking metrics but have yet to find the right balance in defence.
However, their manager Danny Cowley believes it is now time for his side to kick on and improve their output in terms of results. In addition to the Cheltenham fixture, they travel to Chesterfield and host Salford City in the next week as the EFL returns to a full round of games after the international break.
Danny Cowley Happy With Cheltenham Pre-Match Preparations
The 45-year-old previewed the weekend’s fixture and gave an update on the conditioning of his players after the international break. According to the club’s official website, the former Lincoln City boss said:
“Last weekend we gave the players a couple of days off, which I think was the right thing to do to freshen the boys up physically and mentally. You’re always looking for that balance between fitness and freshness. They’ve benefitted, certainly the way that they’ve trained this week.
“We feel like in the first ten games we’ve certainly left some points out there which has been frustrating. We’re a new group that’s learning about each other and the game idea all the time. Our teams always grow and improve as the season unfolds, so we now attack the next ten games.
“The ambition is to keep growing and improving. We feel like we should have eighteen points at this stage, but we left some points in the Bromley game, the Carlisle game, the Harrogate game, and then of course away at Morecambe, so we have to take the learning from it and the ambition is to find the consistency we want.”
It is difficult to argue with his assessment as they have been one of the most exciting teams to watch in an attacking sense, with their ten matches averaging almost three goals per game. However, they have been poor defensively and after an excellent performance in the win against MK Dons, goalkeeper Matt Macey is one player that has struggled to maintain that form.
It may be a case that the manager will have to change his formation as his attack-heavy style is impacting their ability to tighten up defensively. He may need to deploy a further sitting midfielder, possibly at the expense of one of the players in attack. Their next three matches appear to be an opportunity to kickstart an assault on the top tier of the League Two table.