Born and Bred: Colchester United

Let's hope Fewster gets a FEW goals! I'll leave now, don't worry

MJK- I'm sure she was, just it wasn't mentioned

Jack- I laughed, I will admit.

Liverpool defender Sam Hart has joined Colchester on loan until the end of the season, making him United's second signing of the season.

The 19 year old joined Liverpool in 2013 after leaving Manchester United on a free transfer and this will be his first loan spell since joining. Hart has been a regular part of the Liverpool academy, missing just one game over the entire season last campaign.

Colchester boss Paddy McLaughlin has said the following, "I am confident that Sam has the tools to be able to succeed here at Colchester. Although he hasn't played made a senior start, I am impressed with what I have seen in the youth game and cannot wait to see the step up he makes."

McLaughlin also believes that his "window is over" and is "happy with the squad." "The squad is very able and with the funds I have able I don't see the need to bring in any more fresh faces. The lads have been very professional and are looking forward to the new season as much as I am."

For the first time since 1998, Colchester United will ply their trade in the fourth tier, after a disappointing 23rd place finish in League One. With a defence that conceded the most goals in the Football League, it’s little wonder Colchester went down. The U's conceded three goals or more on seventeen occasions, and despite a brief upturn in form over Easter, Colchester became the second casualty of League One courtesy of a Lucas Akins hat-trick against Burton Albion.

This time again, it's much different. A new manager in Paddy McLaughlin and a fresh squad, the hopes of the season are much more different as Colchester are in sought of a return, realistically via the playoffs.

Luke Prosser (Northampton Town), Denny Johnstone (Birmingham City), Courtney Senior (Brentford), Brennan Dickenson (Gillingham), Dexter Peter (Millwall), Ben Wyatt (Maldon & Tiptree), Doug Loft (Gillingham), Kurtis Guthrie (Forest Green Rovers) Craig Slater (Kilmarnock), Tarique Fosu* (Reading), Rekeil Pyke* (Huddersfield), Dean Brill (Motherwell), Tommie O'Sullivan (Cardiff,) Lloyd Doyley (free), Jermaine Grandison (free), Bradley Fewster* (Middlesbrough), Sam Hart* (Liverpool)

Tosin Olufemi (released), Darren Ambrose (released), Nicky Shorey (released), Elliott Parish (released), Marvin Sordell (Coventry City), Marley Andrews (released), Kieran Bailey (released), Tyler Brampton (released), Gavin Massey (Leyton Orient), George Moncur (Barnsley), Alex Gilbey (Wigan Athletic), Joe Edwards (Walsall)


As mentioned it's been all change and the two arrivals from Gillingham are perhaps the most key; Brennan Dickenson on the wing and Doug Loft in the centre of midfield. Kurtis Guthrie will look to step up from the Vanarama National and provide the goals with Bradley Fewster and George Porter. Luke Prosser should also add the required steel to a leaky defence, alongside former Wolverhampton Wanderers centre back George Elokobi.

Kevin says - "You just have to look at the mass turnover of players to see it's a fresh start at Colchester. It was going to be a challenge trying to replace the likes of George Moncur and Alex Gilbey, who could have been seen as playing with a squad far below their standards, but the replacements brought in have been solid, for example Brennan Dickenson.

With a young and talented manager it seems, the expectations of this season could be high for the U's fans. However, it'll all be down to whether the squad can gel quickly and get results needed at the start of the season to see if they can aim for the expected playoff place they seek here at The Weston Community Homes Stadium."

Your squad had tons of movement hopefully you can keep a lot of your players on the squad.

29 transfers in one window?

You plan to win your first game in October?

MJK/Michael- I only made two of the signings, the ones mentioned within the story. The rest were done irl (over the Summer and January windows.)

You don't think about how life will change until it does and it's the same for myself – I could never imagine for one minute, as much as I would try and convince myself that I would be in this position and be as successful as I am right now. Come back in a few years and things could be even better, who knows. Life is full of surprises and it's certainly something I've learnt over the past month.

Tomorrow we will be beginning our League Two campaign against Hartlepool and thus I have been training with the lads, getting in a few good sessions before the game. I have to say, I'm confident in our chances as everyone has had a good pre-season and I have already got the basic map of how we will shape up in my head already. Training is a laugh, we take it seriously but enjoy ourselves in the process. As mentioned in the past, the morale has to be good for results to come.

"Oi boss, watch out!" Sammie Szmodics shouted towards me as I looked ahead and saw the Mitre ball flying towards my direction, getting hit square in the face. This prompted a few laughs as they could see the smile on my face as I got back to my feet – the ball had been hit so hard I was completely knocked over. "Who hit that then?" I laughed, I knew fine well it was Sammie. "Make sure you keep up that accuracy for tomorrow mate!" I said patting him on the back.

I love my job – being a manager has been such a dream in my life but equally I wanted to be in a committed relationship with someone who loved me as much as I loved them. So when I got to go 'home,' as it is now, to Crystal it's great. She and this job were very much like a bus – they never come but then two come at once, such a cliche saying and I feel like I've used so many cliche's, can someone keep a count please?

As I entered through the front door she greeted me and we sat and talked as usual. "I can't wait to go to the game tomorrow," she said excitedly, Crystal wasn't a fan of Colchester before she met me, instead she supported Braintree Town in the National League but she was willing to for me, "Should be a good game and the added bonus is you're managing one of the sides.." She said this in a way that came out so seductively and for the second time in a week we found ourselves in the bedroom again. It was a very physical relationship.

You perhaps get a different image to what I try and say about her by the way I write about Crystal, but she's certainly not the type of woman to spread her legs for anyone. It's just I'm very good at making her do it. Joking aside, having her in my corner is additional help because she has been helping me in the job with the financial side of life, managing money has never been my strong suit so having her aid me in doing this is helpful.

Anyway, the dream and the legacy begins tomorrow against Hartlepool. I've mentioned it so much recently and I think I've drove everyone mental with how much it's been on my mind. Mother still makes the daily phone calls from back in Ireland and is planning on coming over here to meet Crystal, that's great since mother is not embarrassing at all, notice a large amount of sarcasm in this.

I can't let that get in my head though – Hartlepool are an interesting side, predicted for the drop but in my eyes have invested well in the signing of Padraig Amond from Grimsby, it was a strange decision for him to make the move but I'm sure he had his reasons. But, we should be starting the season with a win, come 5 o'clock tomorrow we'll have three points on the board I'm sure.

Nice update and make sure you are keeping a tally of your finances too haha. Good luck against Hartlepool

MJK- Aye, remember he's in that debt still. Let's hope Colchester can give him enough to pay it off

The day was finally here and I felt the anticipation in the air. Every football fan looks forward to the day their team kicks off their season and for a manager it was no different. "Come on Colchester!" Crystal said as she jumped into the car alongside me. We were to arrive at Victoria Park, Hartlepool's ground shortly in order to have a mini session on the pitch that was granted to us. Crystal was along to come alongside me and had been given complementary travel with me as well as tickets, she was clearly enjoying it.

I didn't know what to make of the town itself, it was a rather battered area but the ground stood in the middle of it in crisp condition. The club had made some costly renovations to it over the Summer I was told, it was evident. We were greeted by some form of security as we entered the car park and ushered into the reception, despite there being nobody else in the area. The players were due to arrive any minute also and we saw the coach behind us with all the players inside as we got inside the cosy building.

"You'll be allowed on the pitch for the next hour and at 12 you'll be instructed to come off so we can just make sure the pitch is absolutely fine for the game," the chief executive, Russ Green told us. "Cheers, that's great. Good luck this afternoon, should be an exciting fixture to get the season underway for us both!" He smiled at me and shook my hand firmly before going off to talk to one of the other staff members.

We took the time given to us to prepare, the players looked ready for the game as they practiced some drills. Each player was given an individual exercise to do, as well as a team activity to get the cohesion going. For a squad largely only assembled over the Summer, mostly before I joined the club it wasn't very clear, the lads looked as if they had been together for a while and understood each other's playing styles inside and out. Crystal was also out on the field too, she stood and watched until the session was over. We were instructed to go to the room provided for us, as we waited for the time to re-enter the pitch. As he walked off, Sean Murray, the young fellow Irishman said to me, "Nice catch boss," sending us into laughter. "Aye, all mine," I joked to him as we entered the room to see Man City-West Brom on the TV.

Finally it was time and I took my position in the dugout, Crystal in her seat alongside some of the other players girlfriends and wives, who she was now good friends with and the players in the tunnel. The sound was electric and the travelling Colchester fans were in good voice, drowing out the Hartlepool fans as they entered the field. Songs of "Up the Colchester boys" could be heard and a few minutes later, we were off. Hartlepool vs Colchester.

We had gone with the following lineup of Brill, Brindley, Eastman, Prosser, Hart, Slater, Murray, Lapsile, Fosu, Dickenson and Porter. Walker, Grandison, O'Sullivan, Fewster, Elokobi, Szmodics and Guthrie made the substitute bench.

The game was full of the life was the off and we saw danger at both ends as both keepers pulled off good saves to deny the strikers. However, the first real chance came in the 28th minute as Hartlepool countered us and Billy Paytner's low cross into the box found the onrushing Brad Walker to put the home side in front. It wasn't the best start and certainly not what I wanted. Yet straight from kick off, we created a carbon copy with the same result, Slater's through ball found Fosu who pulled the ball back for Porter. 1-1 and our fans leapt up in celebration, I turned round to see Crystal applauding and clench a fist of joy.

It wasn't the end though as Billy Paytner turned goalscorer to retain Hartlepool's lead from the edge of the area and we went in 2-1 down. The players came in with their heads down and I felt the same and I vented my frustration on them, "This isn't good enough at all lads. We have been very slack with our passing and this needs to improve. In this second half I want to see improvement in that and I also want to see more creativity in the way of attacking. Sort it out." They understood and everyone went out much more motivated, you could see it.

Substitutions were made as the minutes went by and we got deeper and deeper into the game. The chances were coming but we just couldn't bury them and I had my head in my hands several times within the second half that was for sure. Though I felt something coming, eventually the Hartlepool had to break and it finally did in the 80th minute as substitute Kurtis Guthrie's ball was met by Tarique Fosu on the volley, tucking it past Trevor Carson in the Hartlepool goal. We were level and momentum was in our favour. There had to be a winner surely? The amount of pressure on the Hartlepool goal was endless and we weren't letting up.

http://www.cu-fc.com/cms_images/player/4x3-lapsliepunch187-2419343_478x359.jpg

The 'oo's and ah's' of the Colchester faithful were heard and the noise made behind the goal was flowing. They knew it was coming and so did we. But did it? Of course it did and in the 88th minute too. Perhaps not in the circumstance expected but we won't complain as a short free kick was taken to Prosser, his ball into the box was headed down to Lapsile on the edge of the area and his shot took a wicked deflection off the boot of Scott Harrison and sent Carson the wrong way. 3-2 Colchester was displayed on the scoreboard, the fans were jubilant and the players rushed over to celebrate. Crystal gave me the double thumbs up and laughed. We did it. 3-2 winners to kick off the season and we were going home happy. Result.

Nice win to start the game

Congrats on win number one man

Michael/MJK- Cheers boys!

You may be asking why there's no text, this is because they'll be a diary format update (the updates in the italics) and everything will be covered here. I thought I'd also post here, thank you for the amazing support in this story so far, I couldn't have asked for a better reception from you all. Hope you continue to enjoy!