Colchester United boss Danny Cowley has revealed that new signing Ben Goodliffe was a previous target of Peterborough United and their former club Portsmouth.
The U’s announced the signing of Goodcliffe on the 28th June 2024, moving from relegated Sutton United for an undisclosed fee. The League Two side have also added Jack Payne, Matt Macey, Harry Anderson, Rob Hunt, John-Kymani Gordon, Lyle Taylor and Alex Woodyard in a busy but impressive window so far.
Speaking about Godcliffe’s qualities, Cowley admitted that he wanted to sign him whilst in charge of previous club Portsmouth, but Peterborough United were ahead of them.
Speaking to the Daily Gazette:
“We watched Ben when we were at Portsmouth.
“At the time, there was a significant transfer fee on his head.
“This time last year, Peterborough got very, very close to making that happen and we’re pleased he didn’t go there.
“Last year I think was tougher for him and he had a couple of injuries.
“His dad, Jason, was assistant manager and is someone that I know well.
“Him and Matt Gray lost their jobs around the Christmas period so it wasn’t easy for him but he’s a really down to earth, honest kid.”
The defender was a key player for Sutton United, appearing 182 times across all competitions, scoring eight goals and contributing two assists. He has also had previous spells at Dagenham and Redbridge, Boreham Wood and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Cowley continued:
“He’s brilliant in both boxes – we talk a lot in these levels about these boxes and the importance of that and Ben is someone that enjoys defending and wants to defend.
“He’s kind of got that magnetic quality in the box where he’s able to get blocks in and what we call defending the maybes – all of the things that might happen.
“He does that very, very well and he’ll also score goals for us, I’m pretty sure of that.
“I look at him and I see no reason why he wouldn’t score regularly for us and add to the other end of the pitch as well.”
Have Danny Cowley’s Colchester Signings Propelled Them to Contenders?
Having narrowly avoided relegation, the former Lincoln City bosses will be keen to ensure that this season is an improvement on the last. With their first full summer transfer window under way, it is clear that they have made significant improvements to the squad.
They have added players who they are not only already aware of, but ones who have the knowhow and experience to compete at the top of the league. Crawley Town showed last year how a side can transform under a new manager, having just narrowly avoided relegation. It would be far less surprising to see the former League Two title winners lifting the trophy once again.