KARL Duguid has expressed his delight at signing a new contract this afternoon, which will keep him at Colchester United until the end of next season.

It has been a double celebration for Duguid this week. Just a day after his 34th birthday, the U’s veteran put pen to paper on a new deal which will take him through to the summer of 2013.

The versatile Duguid, a product of the U’s youth team, made his senior debut nearly 17 years ago, as a substitute in a 1-1 draw at Hereford United on December 9, 1995.

Since then, he has rattled up 404 league appearances for the U’s, reaching the 400-mark with a 2-1 home win over Brentford on February 14.

Duguid enthused: “I’m really pleased to have got it all sorted out nice and early, because I still think I have got a good few years left in me as a player.

“I didn’t want it to drag on until the last month of the season.

“I know what it can be like, from my experiences of last season (at Plymouth), although we all knew that our contracts were not going to be renewed there because of the (financial) situation.

“It was a dream come true to come back to Colchester (last July), and I have really enjoyed this season. It seems that the older I get, the more I enjoy playing.

“I have one eye on the future, which is why I am starting to take my coaching badges, but I still feel I can offer a lot as a player.”