Form (last six): D-W-L-W-W-W
2002/03 Finish: League; Second Division – 12th
FA Cup: First Round
League Cup: First Round
2002/03 Top Scorer: Joey Keith & Scott McGleish - 9
2002/03 Discipline: 56 yellow, 7 red
2003/04 Top Scorer: Scott McGleish - 5
With the Magpies only picking up 4 points in there last 5 league games, all that can be said ahead of Saturday’s clash is that it is a must-win game. This applies not only for the club’s Second Division status but also for Billy Dearden – as pressure mounts on his shoulders with a section of the Notts crowd calling for his head.
However, Billy’s opposite number is glaring at a whole different situation entirely, as Phil Parkinson recently picked up the Division Two Manager of the Month award for September after pulling the U’s right up into sixth place. Although the former-Reading player, and now U’s player-manager has been forced into using the ‘less is more’ approach to the game, he has done remarkably well considering the amount of players he has at his dispenses.
However, despite the club’s league position, Layer Road is still only playing host to an average attendance of little of three-and-a-half thousand fans – lower than York City [Division Three].
The man who has played the leading role in United’s rise to their current league standing is the U’s joint top scorer from last season, Scott McGleish. The striker has already netted 5 goals for the U’s including a double brace in Colchester’s 2-1 victory over the Robins of Bristol City.
McGleish finished last season as the club’s top marksman for the second season on the trot and will be lucking to make 3 the magic number this time around.
***Star Player*** - Simon Brown
Believe me, choosing a team’s goalkeeper over their top-scorer is a very bizarre thing for me to do but judging from the opinions of the Colchester faithful it may not be as it appears. Simon Brown, although only making 26 appearances for the U’s, ended up Colchester’s Official Player of the Year vote for the 2002/03 campaign.
After seizing his opportunity to take the number 1 spot at Layer Road last season he never looked back, pulling together string of good form that gave his manager no choice but to let Brown hold down the spot of which he still possesses.
***Odds Checker*** - courtesy of William Hill –www.willhill.com
Just thought I’d mention for the Sheffield Wednesday game on Wednesday you could have got 200/1 for Platt to score first and Notts to win 3-1 – but nevermind.
Notts County – 7/4
Draw – 11/5
Colchester – 5/4