2 weeks Ago
COLCHESTER United host Salford City in League Two this afternoon (kick-off 12.30pm). The U’s are aiming to get back to winning ways, after five league matches without victory.
Here’s all you need to know, ahead of the U’s home clash at the JobServe Community Stadium. Team news Colchester will be without Samson Tovide, Owura Edwards, Anthony Scully and Teddy Bishop for the Salford game, due to injury. (Image: STEVE BRADING) Jamie McDonnell is an injury doubt but should be fit to play.
Lyle Taylor is set to return to the starting line-up after dropping to the bench for the draw at Chesterfield, on Tuesday night. Milton Oni is out for several months after he suffered a serious knee injury against Brentford. Predicted line-ups: Colchester United: Macey, Hunt, Goodliffe, Donnelly, Iandolo, McDonnell, Woodyard, Payne, Gordon, Thorn, Taylor Salford City: Jones, Tilt, Garbutt, Edwards, Ashley, N'Mai, Fornah, Chesters, Woodburn, Stockton, Okoronkwo (Image: STEVE BRADING) Colchester head coach Danny Cowley on Salford game: “Salford are another team who have been really aggressive with their recruitment.
“They’ve got a really nice balance of some experienced players and some young, athletic ones. “They’ve been playing a 3-4-1-2 and have real experience, on the defensive line. “They’ve got Ossama Ashley who was here and has athletic qualities and is very good defensively.
“They have Tyrese Fornah who plays next to him who’s another really, really good athlete. “They signed Cole Stockton as a nine who’s a boy who has done very, very well in League One and League Two over a long period of time and regularly scored goals for the clubs that he’s played for. “They also have some real pace and athleticism in wide areas, so it’s a team who certainly carry a real threat.
“We’ve managed a number of times against Karl Robinson and his teams are always very well coached, so we anticipate a really tough game.” Head to head Alex Woodyard is set to keep his place in Colchester’s engine room against Salford today. (Image: RICHARD BLAXALL) He is likely to come up against former U’s midfielder Ossama Ashley, who left Colchester to join the Ammies in the summer of 2023.
Last meeting Colchester and Salford played out a 1-1 draw when the two sides met at Moor Lane, in February. Matt Smith gave the Ammies the lead but Bradley Ihionvien’s late strike secured a point for the U’s, on their travels. Referee The man in the middle today is Alex Chilowicz.
He has presided over nine games so far, showing 37 yellow cards and two reds. (Image: RICHARD BLAXALL) Odds Colchester are 23/20 to get the win today, according to bookmakers Paddy Power. They see a Salford win as 23/10, with the draw also 23/10.
League Two fixtures, today (3pm unless stated): Colchester United v Salford City (12.30pm), Morecambe v Chesterfield (12.30pm), Accrington Stanley v Walsall, Bradford City v Doncaster Rovers, Bromley v Barrow, Carlisle United v Cheltenham Town, Crewe Alexandra v Tranmere Rovers, Grimsby Town v Milton Keynes Dons, Newport County v Fleetwood Town, Notts County v Harrogate Town, Port Vale v AFC Wimbledon, Swindon Town v Gillingham.
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