COLCHESTER United boss John Ward has already got two monkeys off his back this season – now he’s ready to make it a hat-trick.

The U’s went into the new campaign with the spectre of their seven successive away defeats still haunting them from the back end of last season.

Ward has banished that with a return of seven points from nine on the road so far.

The issue then became that of letting in late goals after the Essex side conceded last gasp equalisers against Exeter, Sheffield Wednesday and Carlisle.

Ward’s side flipped that on its head last week by scoring a late winner of their own at Walsall.

Today joint-second Colchester host a Plymouth side that have found life back in League One tough so far following a six season spell in the Championship.

And Ward, having come mightily close on two occasions, is now ready to record his first home win.

“The work is never done is it?” laughed Ward. “We’ve talked about the away form, then it was the late goals, now it’s the home form! You’re quite right though, we’ve got to get some points at home.

“Sheffield Wednesday and Carlisle are the top two in the division so I can’t grumble too much with two draws against them.

“We got 15 wins here last season and I said immediately that we’d take that again.

“We know we’ve got to get that first home win and we go into this game fully confident.”

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