COLCHESTER United have not had much too much to cheer about so far, this season.

But the goalscoring form of their striker Joe Taylor has without doubt been a bright spot, in an otherwise difficult campaign.

The on-loan Luton Town youngster has hit an impressive ten goals already and is among the top goalscorers, in League Two.

And Taylor has now been challenged to at least double that tally, between now and the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

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Colchester boss Matty Etherington, who also coached Taylor at former club Peterborough United, feels the 21-year-old is capable of scoring plenty more goals in the second half of the season.

Etherington said: "I think a 20-goal target should be a bare minimum for Joe, knowing him as well as I do.

"I think 20 to 25, that's what the aim should be.

"He's a constant threat.

"I think he could be better in certain things that he does like back to goal play.

Gazette:

"He's technically capable of doing that but Joe wants to run towards the opposition goal, which he's extremely good at and you don't want to take that away from him.

"Can he be a bit tidier back to goal? Yes but he knows this, we've spoken about this and I'm not digging him out.

"He's been consistently one of our best and most threatening players all season and I'm sure he'll continue to do that."

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Taylor and his Colchester team-mates will be aiming to secure a much-needed win when they return to action at the JobServe Community Stadium, on Friday night.

The U's host 20th-placed Salford City, looking to halt a run of five successive defeats in League Two.

Colchester lie third from bottom in the table, five points above the relegation zone but having played two games more than second-bottom side Forest Green Rovers.