Born and Bred: Colchester United

All you have to do to shut the Villa fans up is chant 'Fabian Delph, He Said He won't Leave!'... Then, when they're broken down in tears and thus sending their players in to inconceivable shock, strike them down and score 254 goals. Easy.

MJK- Thanks mate.

Griffin- Let's hope so, it'll be a difficult game for both sides though I think, very different styles of football.

Justice- Good plan, I'm down for that.

COLCHESTER UNITED 3 (Elphick o.g. 41, Dragomir (pen) 57, Nketiah 58) ASTON VILLA 0

Colchester United have progressed to the second round of the Capital One Cup following a surprise 3-0 win to Championship side Aston Villa.

The League One side came into the game eager to set the record straight following the previous encounter between the two, however it would always prove to be difficult against a top Villa side under the management of Gary Monk, who took over in mid-December last season following the sacking of Steve Bruce.

Eddie Nketiah and Vlad Dragomir would both start for United, in what would be their first game for the club however the majority of the line-up remained the same from the weekend draw to MK Dons. Villa fielded a strong lineup, with young midfielder Andre Green slotting within a wealth experience on the wing.

The first chance of the game came within the first ten minutes. After an exchange of long balls up the pitch from the two sides, Vlad Dragomir would play in a ball for the winger and goalscorer at the weekend Brennan Dickenson, however his effort was just wide of the target and from this point onwards the first half proved to be a rather dull affair.

Just shy of the half time whistle, Villa looked to attack and Neil Taylor overlapped Jack Grealish to try and get the ball into the area, unable to he passed the ball back to the young winger however he was well dispossessed by the full-back Wilson, providing a counter attack opportunity.

Dragomir got the ball into the feet of his fellow Arsenal loanee teammate Nketiah who ran up the pitch alongside Thomas Lapsile. Playing the ball into the feet of Dickenson, a searching ball came into the area however Villa defender Tommy Elphick's boot caused the ball to turn into his own net.

Villa, who had seemed totally dejected as they went in at the break immediately pushed for an equaliser as Will Keane played the ball to his attacking partner Jonathan Kodija, who was unable to add to his tally from the previous meeting and beat keeper Dean Brill as his shot was well saved.

That effort would come back to bite Villa as they conceded a penalty through Nathan Baker having a tussle with Nketiah, who went to ground and rightfully was awarded a chance to double the lead. Vlad Dragomir made no mistake, sending Mark Bunn the wrong way.

Just a minute later it would be three, Eddie Nketiah had been proving a handful all night and would finally get the goal he deserved when Villa lost the ball from kick-off and Lapsile received the ball from Drey Wright, taking a touch and playing an itch perfect ball through the defence for the young striker to smash home.

Quite simply it just wasn't Villa's night, nor was it Jonathan Kodija's. A late chance fell for the Ivorian, who had so much time to finish and a least claim a late goal but he rushed the chance and sent the ball miles wide of the goal, concluding a night of poor finishing from the Championship side. With that came the whistle, sending Colchester fans and players home very happy with the result and with their name in the hat for the second round draw.

Colchester United: Dean Brill, Lawrie Wilson, Luke Prosser (Tom Eastman 66), Paul Digby, Sean Kavanagh, Sean Murray (Tommy O'Sullivan 82), Thomas Lapsile, Drey Wright, Vlad Dragomir, Brennan Dickenson, Eddie Nketiah.

Substitutes not used: Sam Walker, Bradley Fewster, Semi Ajayi, Craig Slater, Chris Porter.

Aston Villa: Mark Bunn, Micah Richards, Tommy Elphick, Nathan Baker, Neil Taylor, Aaron Tshibola, Conor Hourihane, Andre Green, Jordan Veretout (Harry McKirdy 20, Jonathan Kodija for McKirdy 45), Jack Grealish (Gabby Agbonlahor 56), Will Keane.

Substitutions not used: Jed Steer, Easah Suliman, Jordan Lyden, Johan Abdoul.

Referee: R.East

Attendance: 4,199.

Now there is $10000 well spent on a bet lol. Great win man.

I knew you could beat them, just had that feeling! Hopefully this is the start of a decent cup run for you which will bring in some funds to really build this squad!

MJK- Enjoy the money.

Griffin- I hope so too, the club is looking very good financially and making a profit over the season rather than losing it so far, which can only mean good things I guess.

Bury aside a very solid start to the campaign with some excellent cup results in there too man! If you can find a way of turning that cup form into league form over the course of the remaining 40 or so games you're in for a great season!

Dillading dilladong, the show must go on! Outstanding start to the season, especially in the League Cup, and you've put yourself in strong position in the league already. Just remember, 41 more wins in the league this season will probably get you the league title!

Griffin- It has been a good start hasn't it, very reminiscent of last season I must say.

Justice- That would be a story wouldn't it, winning every single game from here onwards...

The football season was back after what seemed to be an eternity of waiting. As a manager you just cannot wait to get back on the touchline and watch your team flourish under your guidance. This season was one of real hope for all involved at the club as we prepared for our return to League One and aimed to impress.

I had said from the start that we would take each game as it came and the first ambition of the season was to accumulate 50 points, which would secure our safety based on the previous years within the division. Of course, that was going to be a difficult challenge, however with the squad assembled over the Summer and the results we have got thus far, I am confident.

Stepping out on the opening day of the season again was a good feeling. I had missed the atmosphere only found here at Colchester, although we never posted the biggest attendances, the fans would always let their voices be heard above anyone. The scene was set in what was to be our return and an eagerly anticipated one for us – we wanted to get a good first impression.

Obviously it takes some time in trying to settle in with a bunch of new faces, hence why we tried to keep the base of the squad the same from the previous year, ensuring there was some balance. However we got off to a good start, Brennan's goal was something we had been waiting for – he had been attracting interest from Bradford over the Summer and to keep him here was going to be a challenge, we did that and he rewarded us.

The minutes ticked away as we looked set for the three points and it was a real head in hands moment when Semi headed the ball to the MK Dons attacker to score. At the end of the day we couldn't really complain, we had taken a point from one of the top teams within the division and that was not to be ignored.

The next test was Aston Villa and it had been well documented in the local media that they were the side who ended the mini cup run we went on in the competition last season. To come away with a victory was something magnificent for us all and we knew, once again, we could possibly endure yet another cup run in this competition.

We watched the draw on the TV, all praying for a good tie whether it be an away trip to a Premier League side such as West Bromwich Albion or a home tie to one of the smaller sides left in the competition like Lincoln City which would provide us with something. To see us be drawn alongside Derby County, I must admit, was slightly disheartening as we wanted a better draw however it was still a tough task ahead of us.

Returning to the league, we would be subject to our first away day of the season to Scunthorpe United. We faced the Irons last season in the FA Cup, in which they beat us 2-0 in the second round. Once again they were another good side, evident in their tenth placed finish last season and so we needed to play our 'A game.'

We decided to field Eddie Nketiah over Bradley Fewster for the game as he played some incredible football in his debut against Aston Villa in midweek and he repaid us. Bagging a double within the first half, he brought us the three points single handedly, despite a late goal from Scunthorpe. The performance shown real unity again, only the positive signs seemed to be on display and that's the way we wanted to keep it.

Our first loss of the season was in our next game to Bury, which was bitterly disappointing. Bury are one of the weaker oppositions within the division for sure, after narrowly avoiding relegation last season and recording just their first points of the season with that win following defeats in all three of their games, including the Capital One Cup.

To put it simply, we just didn't show up on the day and the defence seemed to be ghosted past frequently within the game. Bury were unlucky not to be four or even five-nil up, if it weren't for Dean Brill they would have been. The players were told how it was and we wanted an immediate reaction as we would be facing Oldham Athletic just three days later.

Oldham are a side that have been playing their football in this division for 20 years and this season would obviously be marking their 21st year in League One. The mainstay side in the league were a side we should be beating on paper, as they were predicted to finish just above the relegation zone similarly to ourselves.

We asserted our dominance in the first half, which showed that immediate reaction we were looking for after the result to Bury, when we went in 3-0 up at the break. Goals from Drey Wright, who was enjoying a successful start to the season, Eddie Nketiah, who had now formed a fantastic partnership with Fewster up front and Thomas Lapsile, who had shown interest in a move to Scottish Premiership side Hibernian.

Nicky Law pulled a goal back for the Latics in the second half, but the three points were ours and we continued our strong start to life back in League One, just a point outside of the playoffs at this early stage in the season.

A historic night followed once again for us. Derby County were the side travelling to The Weston Homes Community stadium that evening ahead of our second round clash in the Capital One Cup. Last year we had seen off Middlesbrough to reach the third round and I used that match as motivation to do so again and clearly, it worked.

Nketiah would score his fifth goal in just four games for us after 20 minutes to give us the lead however Tom Ince would quickly equalize for County. The Rams, under the management of Steve McClaren once again, were one of many teams who had criticized Premiership sides for their role in playing second string sides and so they fielded a strong lineup.

This strong lineup went behind just before the break once again. Nketiah would secure his second of the night to ensure we went in two-one up at the half time interval. Late on in the second half, as we looked set for the third round once again, Bradley Fewster would put his name on the score sheet to round of the game, or so it seemed. Nketiah would finish the night with the match ball as he scored a hat-trick to finish the game at 4-1.

Finding out we would be facing Leicester City, we needed to put that aside as we travelled to Southend United, in my first Essex derby. The fans were buzzing and the atmosphere from both sets of fans at Roots Hall was electric as the game got underway. The players were informed to 'play for the fans' and ensure we came away with something at the end of the game.

We went behind early on, much to my disappointment. Luckily for us, Eddie Nketiah would continue his fantastic start to the season to equalize the game and would also put us ahead early on in the second half. Southend would once again score to level the game, however the real talking point was Lapsile's sending off, adding to his two from last season with a dangerous challenge. After the game, Thomas accepted his actions and was issued a warning.

The month was concluded in the Checkatrade trophy, however my assistant Steve Ball would lead the side out in the game to Arsenal Under 21's in my place, similarly to last campaign. The game ended 4-0 in a routine evening for the Londoners, however the competition is the least of my priorities.

Overall the month has been a success and we will now prepare for September where we will face: Fleetwood Town (H,) Coventry City (A,) Luton Town (H,) Leicester City (A,) Mansfield Town (A,) Northampton Town (H) and AFC Wimbledon (A.)

Well, seeing as the Checkatrade Trophy is no priority, the Arsenal result is certainly not one to worry about! Big month ahead, especially that trip to the King Prawn Stadium! Go and make sure Jamie Vardy's not having a party!

Nice victory over Derby

Great update man, and a tough month of fixtures to come but definitely one you'll pull off some good results in if your recent form is anything to go off!

Justice- Leicester will certainly be a tough challenge for us, however we've beaten Premier League sides before so who knows?

MJK- Thanks mate, it was an incredible result and I did not expect that, I have to admit.

Griffin- Certainly is, we'll soon see how it goes.