Football Season Review

After flirting with relegation for years without actually going down, it was hardly a surprise to see Colchester fail to stay above water and end up having their relegation to League Two confirmed. Apart from a one-month period early in the season that saw them go six games unbeaten and win four in a row, and a two-week period late in the season that saw them collect ten points from four, the U's were hugely disappointing, with the low point of their season being the 19-game winless streak that they had between late October and early March, which ultimately left them with too much to do. The U's were lead by as many as five different managers this season, with Richard Hall, Wayne Brown and David Wright being interim bosses, and Tony Humes, who started the season in charge, and Kevin Keen being their full-time managers. However, neither of these men has managed to find a solution to the U's lack of real squad depth, their persistent injury problems, as well as for their chronic lack of a proven striker that could turn their attacks into goals. Players such as George Moncur, Darren Ambrose, Chris Porter and Gavin Massey have shown flashes of quality, but the U's did not have a single player who performed consistently well for an extended period of time. To frustrate their fans even more, the U's have given glimpses of what they are capable of at times and did have some genuinely good performances, but such displays were far too few and far between and their relegation arrives as a logical consequence of not only what they have done this season, but also of the way that the club has been run for years now. With the board's stance for years being that there is not enough money available to invest in a squad rebuild, there is a huge question mark over whether or not the U's can be expected to push for a straight return to League One next season.

Player of the Season: George Moncur