PREVIEW: Sky Blues begin FA Cup campaign

City travel to Colchester...

8 November 2019

The Sky Blues are in FA Cup action this weekend as they take on Sky Bet League Two side Colchester United in the first round. Here is all you need to know about John McGreal’s side.

Fact File

Name: Colchester United

Nickname: The U’s

Founded: 1937

Stadium: Job Serve Community Stadium

Address: United Way, Colchester

Capacity: 10,105

Pitch dimensions: 101 x 64 metres

The Opposition

Colchester currently sit eighth in the Sky Bet League Two table having picked up the same amount of points as City in one more game. The U’s have picked up seven wins, with five draws and five defeats leaving them five points behind league leaders Forest Green.

Colchester have impressed in cup competitions so far this season after claiming the scalps of Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Tottenham as well as Swindon and Crawley to reach the Quarter Finals of the Carabao Cup where they face Manchester United.

Colchester have shared the goals around the squad so far this season with Frank Nouble and Theo Robinson scoring three and Luke Norris bagging four along side five goals from the U’s defenders.

Manager

John McGreal began life in football as a player for his local team Tranmere Rovers where he came through the youth ranks and made almost 200 league appearances in nine years. McGreal then moved to Ipswich Town in 1999 and helped the club to promotion to the Premier League within his first year. He went on to make 123 league appearances for the Tractor Boys before joining Burnley in 2004. McGreal spent three years with Burnley before announcing his retirement in 2007 after failing to secure a contract after a trail at Colchester.

McGreal joined Colchester in 2009 as a professional development coach before being appointed the manger of the U18 side where he won multiple trophies with the young side. Following Richard Hall’s promotion to assistant manager in 2014, McGreal was promoted to U21s manger.

As new mangers came and went, McGreal had spells as caretaker manager for the first team before becoming permanent manager in 2016 and has since led the club to a 13^th place finish and two eighth place finishes in the past three seasons.

Last six games

Won- Mansfield Town 2-3 Colchester

Won- Crawley Town 1-3 Colchester (Carabao Cup)

Won- Colchester 3-1 Newport County

Drew- Crewe Alexandra 0-0 Colchester

Lost- Colchester 0-1 Morecambe

Lost- Crawley Town 2-1 Colchester

Last Time We Met

The Sky Blues last faced up against todays opposition on a Tuesday night in February during the League Two campaign of 2017/2018. Both teams were desperate for wins to give their play-off hopes real momentum going into the last third of the season.

Colchester took the lead mid-way through the half when front man Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe dispatched from the spot after a Rod McDonald foul.

City came out fighting in the second half, and youngster Tom Bayliss rifled the ball into the roof of the net after Jordan Shipley’s effort was parried back into danger.

The Sky Blues went close to a winner twice in the latter stages, but were dealt a sickening blow on 88 minutes when U’s striker Mikael Mandron grabbed a priceless late winner to draw the home side level on points with their play-off rivals in the table.

Head to Head

Coventry wins: 18

Draws: 9

Colchester wins: 10

Club Connections

Clinton Morrison

Clinton Morrison began his career with Crystal Palace after coming through their academy and signing his first professional contract in 1998.

Morrison spent four years at the club playing 157 games scoring an impressive 61 goals but Morrison failed to recapture his form at second club Birmingham City between 2002-2005.

After scoring 14 goals in 87 games, Morrison re-joined Palace where he scored another 41 goals for the Eagles before joining the Sy Blues in 2008 where he featured 91 times scoring 21 goals.

Morrison then had spells at Sheffield Wednesday, MK Dons and Brentford before joining Colchester in 2012. He went on to make 65 league appearances for the U’s scoring four goals in two seasons before leaving the club in 2014.

Jacob Murphy

Jacob Murphy began his career at Norwich City spending four years with the Canaries but his time was spent mainly out on loan.

Murphy had loan spells at Swindon Town, Southend United, Blackpool and Scunthorpe United before joining Colchester in 2015. Murphy made his debut against Crawley Town and scored his first goal in his next game against Yeovil Town which all contributed Colchester survival.

Murphy joined the Sky Blues for the 2015/16 campaign and played a big role throughout. He scored 10 goals in 42 games for City with nine of those coming in the league.

The winger is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday from Premier League side Newcastle United.

Match Officials

Christopher Sarginson will be the man with the whistle during Saturday’s clash.

So far this season, Sarginson has officiated in: Four League One games, three League Two games, four Leasing.com Trophy games and one Carabao cup game.

In his 12 games, Sarginson has brandished 30 yellow cards and no red cards. It will be the first time that Sarginson has officiated a game involving Coventry City this season, with the last time coming in the 2016/17 in the EFL Trophy final, as the Sky Blues beat Oxford United 2-1 at Wembley.

He will be assisted by George Byrne and Michael George while Gary Maskell will act as fourth official.

Match Previews

Match Reports

MATCH REPORT: Colchester United 0-2 Sky Blues

City run out comfortable winners in Emirates FA Cup clash...

9 November 2019

First half goals from Jordan Shipley and Sam McCallum secured the Sky Blues a place in the second round of the Emirates FA Cup after a dominant victory against Colchester United.

Shipley blasted home the opener after 11 minutes before McCallum’s dangerous delivery on 26 minutes curled all the way in as City controlled the game from start to finish.

The win means Mark Robins side have now extended their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions.

The Sky Blues created the first chance of the match on seven minutes when Jordan Shipley’s low curling effort, from the right-hand side of the penalty area, was pushed away by Colchester keeper Dean Gerken low down to his right.

Soon after, City deservedly took the lead when Zain Westbrooke played a delightful lofted through ball to the on running Shipley who blasted an effort past Gerken at his near post.

The hosts responded with their first attempt of the game on 25 minutes as Cohen Bramall’s 25-yard effort went just past Ben Wilson’s right-hand post.

City doubled their advantage moments later, when McCallum’s delicious cross from a free-kick on the right, from more than 35-yards out, curled all the way into the bottom left corner.

The Sky Blues continued to dominate and almost found a third goal just before the half-hour mark when Westbrooke’s long-range effort was tipped around the post for a corner.

From the resulting set-piece, Amadou Bakayoko headed narrowly wide, from close range, as City searched for more goals.

Bakayoko had another chance to add to City’s total just before half-time but could only fire into the side netting after controlling McCallum’s long pass forward.

HALF-TIME: COLCHESTER UNITED 0-2 SKY BLUES

Picking up from where he left off at the end of the first half, Bakayoko was again involved at the start of the second period firing a shot over the crossbar around 20-yards from goal.

City continued to pressure the Colchester defence and created another opening on the hour mark when captain Liam Kelly curled an effort narrowly wide of the left-hand post from the edge of the penalty area.

Minutes later, a clever reverse pass from Shipley found Westbrooke racing through into the penalty area with the midfielder then cutting inside of his man before striking an effort against the base of the post.

The Sky Blues carved United open again on 67 minutes, when Shipley cut the ball back for Bakayoko inside the penalty area, with the striker’s effort well-blocked when heading towards goal.

City did eventually manage to put the ball into the net for a third time, only for the linesman to rule out Shipley’s well-placed strike for offside.

Substitute Callum O’Hare almost added City’s third with eight minutes left to play, when he connected with Westbrooke’s ball across the face of goal but scuffed his effort into the hands of Gerken from close range.

Despite failing to add more goals to their tally, the Sky Blues turned in a masterful performance at the JobServe Community Stadium and deservedly booked their place in the second round of the competition.

FULL-TIME: COLCHESTER UNITED 0-2 SKY BLUES

Goals: Shipley 11’, McCallum 26’

Yellows: Jackson 34’, Kelly 57’, Eastman 83’

Attendance: 2,919 (678 away)

Colchester United XI: Dean Gerken (GK), Ryan Jackson, Tom Eastman, Luke Prosser (C), Cohen Bramall, Brandon Comley, Ben Stevenson, Courtney Senior (Norris 70’), Kwame Poku (Sowunmi 46’), Callum Harriott (Gambin 54’), Frank Nouble

Unused Subs: Ethan Ross (GK), Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu, Tom Lapslie, Jevani Brown

Sky Blues XI: Ben Wilson (GK), Fankaty Dabo, Dom Hyam, Kyle McFadzean, Michael Rose, Sam McCallum, Zain Westbrooke (Eccles 90’+2), Liam Kelly (C), Liam Walsh, Jordan Shipley (O’Hare 74’), Amadou Bakayoko

Unused Subs: Cian Tyler (GK), Declan Drysdale, Brandon Mason, Gervane Kastaneer, Will Bapaga

Match Reports

Standings