Colchester United defender Connor Hall confident of success

The U’s are already planning for the 2023-24 campaign, after battling to preserve their EFL safety.

Hall played his part in helping Colchester stay up in the second half of the season, having joined them from League One outfit Port Vale, in January.

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And the 29-year-old defender is confident that the U’s can mount a challenge at the right end of the table under boss Ben Garner, next time around.

Hall said: “That’s why I came to the club, to be challenging at the top end of the table.

“This season was all about staying in the league and I knew next season would be the season for us to hopefully get automatics or the play-offs.

“But I believe we’ve got the right manager to be able to bring in players in the summer, to get us to that level and I fully back the players that are going to be here next year to make sure that happens.”

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Hall made a positive impression for Colchester following his switch to the JobServe Community Stadium, at the start of the year.

The former Bury Town youngster made 21 appearances for the U’s, scoring twice and was a regular in their starting line-up.

“I think it’s always important as a new player to try and stamp your authority on the team,” said Hall, who celebrates his 30th birthday on Tuesday.

“I feel like I’ve done that but it’s only half a season – I’ve got another two years on my contract and I want to be able to maintain that for two years and maybe more, who knows?

“I always try and pride myself on my consistency and I feel like I’ve shown that in a lot of games, this season.

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“The main thing was to stay up and we managed to do that.

“We’ll look to next season and hopefully, I can build on new levels.”

Colchester finished the season in front of their biggest Community Stadium attendance of the season, playing in front of nearly 7,000 when they hosted Mansfield Town on May 8.

Hall is hoping the club can attract similar home crowds, in the next campaign.

Hall added: “A lot of fans came on the final day of the season to watch us play who don’t usually turn up on a Saturday-Tuesday and we wanted to give them a reason to come back, next season.

“I believe we’ll be winning a lot of games next season and I think we’ll be up there in the league.

“Hopefully, the supporters who came out (against Mansfield) come back, next season.”