BEN Garner expects Colchester United to reap the benefits of having three goalkeepers vying to be the club’s number one.

The arrival of Tom Smith on a permanent deal last week following his departure from Arsenal has further increased competition in the U’s keeper department, as the new season gets underway.

Colchester already had Sam Hornby on their books from last season, while Owen Goodman arrived on a season-long loan from Premier League side Crystal Palace, last month.

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Goodman was named in the U’s starting line-up for their postponed game against Swindon Town at the weekend with Hornby on the bench, while Smith featured for the club’s under-21 side in their 5-0 friendly win over Cheshunt at the weekend.

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They will all be led by the club’s new goalkeeper coach Yilmaz Aksoy, who has arrived from League One side Charlton Athletic and succeeds Graham Stack, who left to link up with Maccabi Tel Aviv last month.

U’s head coach Garner said: “I think the goalkeeping department now is really strong.

“We’ve got three good goalkeepers there and we wanted that, in terms of them pushing and competing for that position but also for the quality of training, too.

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“Having Tom in over the last couple of days has strengthened that further and allows us to add real quality to the training sessions, even when we break off into smaller units.

“It keeps a good intensity level to train in and the outfield players benefit from that, not just the goalkeepers.”

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Smith returned to Colchester on a two-year contract, having impressed for them on loan from Arsenal, last season.

The 21-year-old made six appearances for the U’s towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign, helping Garner's side stay in League Two.

Earlier this summer, Smith spent time on trial at League One new boys Stevenage, after being released by Arsenal.

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“We’ve been in constant contact with Tom since the end of last season,” added Garner.

“We were always keen to do something with him.

“It was more of a budget situation really, in terms of having the funds to bring a third senior goalkeeper in and we’ve managed to do that.

“We’ve managed to be creative with a deal and have something that worked for both parties and get that done.

“I’m really pleased – I really like Tom as a character.

“He’s fitted straight back in and is good within the group.

“He’ll complement Owen and Sam and make us really strong in that department.”