COLCHESTER United's play-off credentials will be put to the test by high-scoring West Brom in a mouth-watering Championship clash at Layer Road tonight.

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United's play-off credentials will be put to the test by high-scoring West Brom in a mouth-watering Championship clash at Layer Road tonight.

It is undoubtedly the biggest game of the U's already extraordinary campaign. Quite simply, a win over the third-placed Baggies would propel United to the highest position in the club's history.

West Brom, with former Ipswich defender Tony Mowbray at the helm, are eying up automatic promotion and an immediate return to the Premiership.

They will move back into second spot, if they can avoid defeat at Layer Road, but the U's have already proved that they have no respect for big reputations.

A victory over the Midlanders would lift Colchester to the heady heights of fifth in the Championship, which equates to 25th in the football pyramid. They have never been that high. Williams is set to name an unchanged side this evening, for a match that has been brought forward from next weekend - West Brom will play either Middlesbrough or Bristol City in an FA Cup fifth round game on Saturday.

Joint leading scorer Chris Iwelumo was substituted at half-time, during the 3-0 victory at Barnsley last Saturday, after taking a nasty blow to the mouth. But he should be fit to start tonight.