John Ward brings his League One side to the EBB Stadium this Saturday afternoon as the club finalise their match preparations ahead of next week's npower League Two opener at Accrington Stanley. Having finished last season in eighth place in League One, the Us are certain to provide formidable opposition.
Despite winning all of their pre-season games so far, boss Kevin Dillon was keen to play down his sides 'winning run' earlier in the week, when he told BBC Radio Surrey: "I remember when I played for Birmingham and we won every pre-season game and ended up getting relegated, so I don't look too far into it.
"We've always got to remain pessimistic rather than optimistic because anything can happen, but so far, so good.
"When I came to the club last season, I was told they were a good footballing team and passed the ball well, but we weren't getting results doing that with the players we had. As a consequence, we changed it and got a few players in and it was successful, but I think we have got better players this season.
"I've got a bit more experience as well and I've got people on the pitch who can take control of the game and organise players and I'm pleased with the way it has gone.
"We're passing the ball around, we're getting some great movement up front and we haven't conceded a goal, which is even more pleasing."
Shots team news
After fitting in a midweek work-out against Reading behind closed doors, the Shots will be gearing up towards next weekend's trip to Lancashire and Dillon said: "We needed another game midweek and it was perfect.
"They [Reading] played Wolves on Tuesday night and they've got a big squad. There were players that I wanted to look at, so it was ideal, but the big game for me is against Colchester and it will be more like a proper game.
"I think John [Ward] has had a few injuries to contend with and is still preparing for the season, whereas this is the big game before the start of the season for us and it's the one where you put your best team out, play your chosen formation and do your set-pieces. You shout at the players a little bit more and expect a little bit more from them, but again, it's only pre-season and the real big game is at Accrington a week later."
Jack Randall remains sidelined, having suffered a fractured bone in his ankle during the club's opening pre-season friendly at Almondsbury Town, while both John Halls and Damian Spencer are unlikely to be risked ahead of the Accrington Stanley match as they continue to recover from their injuries.
Shots from: Jamie Young, Jordan Clement, Ben Herd, Anthony Straker, Jack Saville, Sammy Stewart, Glenn Little, Aaron Brown, Anthony Charles, Darren Jones, Jamie Vincent, Ben Harding, Luke Guttridge, Reece Connolly, Danny Hylton, Marvin Morgan, Michael Abnett, Jake Hyde, Emmanuel Panther and Clayton Fortune.
The opposition
The Us have had a busy pre-season schedule and have faced away trips to Dover Athletic (won 2-0), Heybridge Swifts (won 5-0), Maldon & Tiptree (won 3-0), Lowestoft Town (drew 0-0), Braintree Town (drew 0-0) and Cambridge United (won 1-0) in their build-up to the new campaign. After facing the Shots this weekend, they are also due to face AFC Hornchurch prior to kicking-off their season at Exeter City on August 7th.
One familiar face in the expected Us' line-up is Magnus Okuonghae. Magnus made two appearances for the Shots back in the 2006-07 season and later moved on to Dagenham & Redbridge, where he impressed the League One side enough to captured his signature as he stepped up a level to become an important part of the defensive line-up.
Another player returning to the EBB Stadium is forward/winger Ashley Vincent, who had a one-month loan spell with the Shots (from Cheltenham Town) in November 2005.
Ben Coker will be missing for the Us having picked up an ankle injury during training last week. However Lee Beevers is raring to get going after returning to fitness following his injury-plagued first season with the Us during 2009-10.
Us from: Ben Williams, Alan Maybury, Lee Beevers, Magnus Okunonghae, Pat Baldwin, Paul Reid, Ashley Vincent, John-Joe O'Toole, Clive Platt, Kem Izzet, Simon Hackney, Mark Cousins, Andrew Bond, Kayode Odejayi, Ian Henderson, David Perkins, Steve Gillespie, Joel Thomas, Brian Wilson, Medy Elito, Anthony Wordsworth, Marc Tierney, Ben Coker, John White, Lloyd James, Matt Heath, Morten Knudsen, Sam Corcoran, Tom Bender and Michael Rafter.
Taking charge
James Linington will be taking charge of the match and will be assisted by Steve Cook and Nigel Lugg. Dave Jones is the afternoon's fourth official.
Tickets
Entry to the EBB Stadium has been set at £10 for adults, £8 for concessions and £4 for children. There is no extra charge for seated areas. Supporters attending the match can pay on the day at the turnstiles.
Season ticket holders are charged at the above price.
- Various Hospitality Tickets are also available for this match. Please click here for more details.
- You can visit the official Colchester United website here.
Other news
Supporters are reminded that they will be able to purchase the new playing strip and other merchandise in the John McGinty Lounge from 1.30pm.
South Stand
Due to Health and Safety concerns caused by the ongoing building work on the new Phoenix Lounge, the club have made the decision to close the "Home" section of the South Stand for the match. The "Away" seated area and the "Home" terracing section will still be open, but home supporters choosing to use the south west terracing should be aware that the nearest toilets are at the High Street turnstiles as access to toilets in the South Stand area will be unavailable.
The club apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause, but assure you that the safety and well-being of our supporters had to take precedence on this occasion.
Bar facilities
The Xfor Lounge (formally known as the EBB Lounge) will be open for all supporters from 1.30pm. The bar will reopen at half-time and again after the game.