Accrington Web - 2016/17 Prediction League; Game 9 v Colchester Utd (away)

Colchester United

Accrington Stanley

2016/17 Prediction League; Game 9 v Colchester (away)

The good news, arguably, is that we haven’t lost to The Us in the Football League since 1960 – a little over 55 years ago; that may, of course, be because we haven’t played them in the Football League since 1960, although I don’t necessarily rule out other factors as well ..............

We met in the old Third Division in 1958/59, losing 1-0 away on a Monday night in September, and drawing the return 1-1 ten days later; we met again the following season, losing 1-2 at home and 5-1 at Layer Road; more recently (2003/04) we met in the Third Round of the FA Cup, drawing 0-0 (but winning handsomely on points) but losing the replay 2-1 ten days later ................ and the goalless- Desmond was my first ever Stanley game, and I was there because of the romance of the Cup, a fondness over the years for Accie, and the fact that Colchester is my home town .............. I remember Rory Prendergast most of all, and the Colchester striker Rowan Vine, and Colchester’s keeper saving from point blank range late in the second half ........... and I came again! Our head-to-head is therefore P6 W0 D2 L4 GF4 GA11 ........and we’ve lost every game at Layer Road, but that run can’t continue because they don’t play there any more – now it’s the Colchester Community Stadium, once – newly built - the Weston Homes Community Stadium (snappy, huh?)

They’ve been a yo-yo side for a very long time – up one year, down the next, back up and so on. First formed in 1937, they ground-shared with (now defunct) Colchester Town, who went bust over a debt of #300; within ten years or so they were off on one of the Cup Runs for which they’re known, doing it unto local Banbury Spencer (nice lad, Banbury .....), and then Wrexham, Huddersfield and Bradford Park Avenue before losing to Blackpool. They were elected to the League in 1950, went up and down a bit more, until in 2005/06 they hit the Heady Heights of the Championship, finishing second in Division 2 behind deadly rivals Southend; they stayed up for two years, then sank gently back to League One (leaving Layer Road at the same time), staying there for 8 years before slipping down the greasy pole to League Two; they’d almost come down the season before, saving themselves on the last day and knocking PNE into the playoffs with a 1-0 win

Phil Parkinson took them up to the Championship, then left for Hull; Giant – sorry, Geraint Williams kept them up then took them down, then started badly, then got sacked by the board, who replaced him with Paul Lambert; in 2009/10 Paul Lambert engineered a 7-1 thrashing of Norwich, then left Colchester for .............. Norwich (City, not knickers) .......Other famous ex Managers include Rangers’ Jock Wallace, Ipswich and England FB Mick Mills, George Burley, Kit Symons and Aidy Boothroyd ...............famous ex-players include lots of people you’ve never heard of plus Greg Halford, Kayode Odjayi, Derek Trevis (didn’t he look after John Merrick (the Elephant Man)? Scott McGleish and FB Digger Kettle (no, seriously)

Stacks of players left in the summer; striker Gavin Massey to the East (Leyton Orient); GK Elliot Parish to the Stanley; MF George Moncur – very much the rock they built on – joined Barnsley; striker Marvin Sordell was sent to Coventry; Darren Ambrose has joined FreeAgent FC, and def Nicky Shorey breezed out; in came just as many as had left, including def Luke Prosser from Southend, Ben Dickinson and Doug Loft from Gillingham, Lewis Kinsella from the Villa and one Kurtis Guthrie, Striker of this Parish, who once graced our stage (and who has more yellow cards (3) than anyone else there) ................. plus, inter alia, Reading’s Tariq Fosu on loan

They currently sit in 6th place, behind Pompey on GD, with a record of P8 W4 D2 L2 GF14 GA11 and 14 points; the wins have come against Cambridge (2-0), Grimsby (3-2), away to Wycombe (2-0) and home to Blackpool (3-2), they’ve drawn 1-1 at Hartlepool and at Barnet last Saturday, and lost at Pompey (2-0) and at home to Exeter (3-2) .............three games out of 8 finishing 3-2, all at home (in excess of four goals a game there this season so far).......and they’re out of the EFL Cup (4-0 at Brighton) .............. but just 4 points in their last 3 games! There’s hope for us yet!

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 24th September.............just maybe we’re starting to turn the corner for the season ..............or perhaps it’s the plum duff!

Good luck to everyone! .......... Keep the Faith! ....................And thanks for playing!

:bingobang:bingobang