John McGreal takes his charges to St James’s Park Exeter on Saturday to play the Grecians who are already assured of a Play Off Spot, their automatic promotion was finally extinguished after a 3-1 defeat to Stevenage last weekend. However, depending on results on the final day they could finish anywhere from 4th to 7th, with a consequent change of opponent in the Play Off semi-finals.

Paul Tisdale is to be applauded for maintaining a consistent level of performance throughout the season to reach the play offs again.

Exeter 45 77 +9 final game Colchester United Home
Notts Co 45 76 +23 final game Luton Town Home
Coventry 45 74 +17 final game Morecambe Home
Lincoln 45 74 +16 final game Yeovil Home
Mansfield 45 71 +15 final game Crawley Home

At the other end of the table if Mad Dog is to achieve the minor miracle of last day survival Barnet must win at home to already relegated Chesterfield and Morecambe must lose at Coventry. Frankly Morecambe were appalling when they lost to Barnet and perhaps deserve to be relegated.

JM by contrast is in a situation where the only consistent thing is inconsistency.

Colchester Results:
Home - played 23 won 9 drawn 7 lost 7 30 For 23 Against and 34 points
Away - played 22 won 7 drawn 7 lost 8 For 23 Against 28 and 28 points

We sit currently 12 points off the target that we required to achieve a play off spot and this season incredibly 77 points might actually be required and so let’s say we are actually 5 wins short of where we needed to be. 5 more home victories would have done it!

Enough of the “what ifs” and “what should have been”, Saturday is all about finishing on a positive note with a look to the future.

Uncertainty pervades the Stadium (we don’t even know what it is going to be called next season) the ten-year allegiance with Weston Homes has come to an end.

Sam Walker in his weekly column says that he will sit down and discuss contracts in the first or second week of the closed season. Frankly I think that he will go, after 200 games at the club he wants League one or Championship football and Colchester are not going to deliver that sometime soon. Also, he is miffed that he cannot complete every minute of every league game after being left out last week against Swindon.

Still the future is Dillon Barnes at number One and he will play at Exeter on Saturday.

The loanees will all have departed to their parent clubs. Liam Mandeville who frankly was awful. Ryan Inniss who suffered an injury at the wrong time in his Colchester appearances. Olamide Shodipo who actually only started to play in the final games and showed a degree of talent and ability.

Finally, Ben Stevenson who sadly must return to Wolves. We were incredibly lucky to get him on loan and up until the Accrington defeat, I thought that he would be gracing the Wembley turf in the Play Off final for Colchester.

An incredibly talented midfield player (who will one day play for England) he lit up what otherwise was a poor season. He scored a rocket for the U’s and his overall play was sublime. Good luck at Molineux in the Premier League next season.

Defender Aaron Barnes has returned from Torquay who will be playing Truro City next year in the Southern section of the National League. He may play tomorrow.

Brennan Dickenson will also be staying for at least another season. His long-term injury woes continued, and he played only a handful of games this year. We must hope that he is fit in August.

Will we see Luke Prosser and Kane Vincent-Young at the club next season? I do hope so.

Harry Pell looks as though he has been prised away from Cheltenham, the 6ft 4in midfielder will add some bite to the centre of the park next season. Can we sign striker Mohamed Eisa as well!!!!!

Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe and Ryan Gondoh must be the future, and both should play against the Grecians. Tariq Issa likewise, although he will not start tomorrow.

I’m not sure whether Marmite will be fit for Exeter, we will have to wait and see.

In the meantime:

Barnes (D)

Barnes (A) Prosser Kent Vincent-Young

Gondoh Comley Murray Senior

Ogedi-Uzokwe Mandron

Subs:

Walker Lapslie Eastman Issa Szmodics Wright Jackson

Weather in Exeter tomorrow is set to be partly cloudy, but a very mild 18 degrees Celsius.

Colchester supporters will be sitting in the Away seats of the main stand, while the Away Terrace and Stagecoach stand are being redeveloped. The main stand is sold out for Exeter City fans and only the Thatcher’s Big Bank is available for them.

I am hoping that our youthful side can upset the apple cart and overcome a side that has already achieved one of their goals this season. Safe journey to the travelling faithful, I will be making the journey from North Cornwall into Devon for the game.

Keep the faith

Up the U’s

Photo: Action Images

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