A bit about you:
Name: Matt Hudson (media manager at Colchester United FC)
Current home town: Colchester, less than 5 minutes drive from the new stadium!
Birthplace: Colchester. I have spent most of my life here, aside from three years at university and two living in London.
How long have you supported your team? I have been a Colchester fan since 1990 and have worked here since 2001, a time which has encompassed a promotion, a relegation and three managers. We’re currently awaiting our fourth!
Overview of your club
I think the key word to sum us up at the moment is “potential”. After seventy-one years at Layer Road, the club moved to their new stadium in the summer and are currently finding their feet in the new venue on and off the pitch. There has been significant investment in the new facility, which can eventually be expanded to nearly 18,000 seats.
As a point of reference, we were only able to trade on matchdays at Layer Road, now we are a seven day a week operation with the opportunity to hold business conferences, exhibitions and weddings. At Layer Road, we had hospitality for 40ish, now we have the chance to fill around 700 spaces. The game against Leicester will see those facilities at their fullest in the games to date….
On the pitch, there is plenty of potential in the squad. We’ve got several hungry young players as well as those that have been there and done it at this level. Over the past twelve months, we’ve broken our transfer record four times and recently had a bench with four players worth six figure fees when, until last summer, the record transfer was £50,000.
Favourite thing about your home ground: It’s new! There are still those of us – both fans and staff – who are revelling in the fact that we have a brand new facility to get to know and love and we are still establishing ourselves here. For those of you that came to Layer Road, it will be a world apart.
Favourite match played by your team & why: As a fan of nearly 20 years, there have been plenty to choose from but in recent years, the win over Sunderland at Layer Road was a day to truly remember. Roy Keane’s men were on the brink of the Premiership, hadn’t lost in 2007 and looked all conquering. But we swept them aside that day in an enthralling match. It was the high point of an incredible season where a team who had dropped out of the league in 1990 were within a couple of games of the play-offs to the Premiership.
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: A close run thing between Mark Kinsella and Lomana Tresor Lua Lua. Mark was a superb midfielder before going onto better things, whilst Lomana’s mercurial skills always made him a threat on the wing.
About our forthcoming match against you
It will be an interesting match and a measure of where we stand in terms of a promotion push this year. Kit Symons summed it up when he said that the team hadn’t performed to their potential as yet, although the first hour against Tranmere gave a tantalising glimpse of what we could be capable of. Leicester have managed to avoid the struggles of the “big team” in the division so far, and they will be looking to sustain that.
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? As I work here, it’s difficult to pick out just one! I think the fans are growing to love John White, a home grown lad who has come through the ranks, whilst summer signing David Perkins is already a favourite with the supporters for his all action displays.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? Mark Yeates showed at Tranmere he can test any defence on his day and his wing play will be well known to Leicester fans from his loan spell with you.
Player in our squad you most fear and why? Matty Fryatt always looks to have a goal in his locker and he will need to be watched very carefully by our improved back four on Tuesday night.
Up and coming prospect in your squad? Winger Medy Elito. Signed up as a pro on his seventeenth birthday, he has played for England U17s, U18s and U19s and is a hugely exciting player when on the ball.
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Where do you think you'll finish this season? Play-offs has to be the aim. Both Leicester and Scunthorpe have started well after being relegated last year and we have to be looking to get up and join you in the next few weeks. Much will rest on the choice of new manager and Kit Symons will be looking to continue his claim for the job with another good display on Tuesday.
How do you think you'll do against us? A bright start will be important to carry on with how we played against Tranmere. The football in that performance was our best of the season. We’ve had four draws in four games against you so far and that could well be the result again, but I’d like to think we could get a win if we play like we did on Friday!