Colchester United boss John McGreal is looking for his side to start with the same ‘desire and determination’ they have shown on their recent travels.
The U’s entertain Crewe Alexandra this afternoon at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, looking to bounce back from their last League Two clash on home soil – a 1-0 defeat to Carlisle.
It was a disappointing result, but McGreal’s young chargers showed their mettle with two positive performances back-to-back on the road – a win at Newport County and a draw at Coventry City.
It rightly gave McGreal plenty to draw on.
“For me, it’s how we bounce back, that’s how you look at the team and lately when we’ve had a defeat, we have done just that, going to Newport and Coventry and getting four points, is testament to the team.
“It’s important to start as we left off last week, not with 10 men on the pitch (Tom Lapslie was sent off at Coventry), but with the desire and determination we showed.
“We want to get our fans on board at home, we have had two away trips to deepest south Wales, then the midlands, we want to give our fans something to shout about at home, get the South Stand boys behind us, that noise we are accustomed to. It goes along way.”
Colchester entertain a Crewe side who sit two places and two points below the U’s in the League Two table.
However, on current form McGreal’s side have the edge, with their visitors not enjoying the best of fortune on their travels so far this season, having won just once and scoring just three times.
Not that McGreal will take much notice of those stats.
“We’ve had them watched and they have been a bit unlucky, a bit like us early in the season. They haven’t been getting that early goal, but they’ve had chances.
“I don’t talk too much about the opposition, we will give them the respect they deserve and we don’t have the best of records against them in recent years.
“We’ve had no midweek game, a bit of time to recover. We’ve had two good away results and we know it will be a test, but we will set ourselves up to put on a performance.”
Tom Lapslie misses today’s game for the U’s having been sent off for two yellow cards at Coventry.
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