Colchester United legend Karl Duguid on Cowleys' impact

And the U’s legend would love to see his former club bring back Alistair Smith on a permanent basis.

Colchester are preparing for the 2024-25 League Two season, having avoided relegation on the final day of the campaign.

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There will be plenty of change to the U’s squad, with a number of players departing and plenty of new signings brought in.

Duguid is predicting Colchester to be a more ‘physical and streetwise’ side under Danny and Nicky Cowley – and the former U’s skipper says they must aim high.

Duguid said: “Now it’s their thing and now they’re going to be judged and you’ll see a totally different team and style of play.

“I think the players that they had at their disposal probably couldn’t play how they would like to play.

“Those players that they had there were all brought into play whatever philosophy Colchester United was before.

“I think the style of play will change again, not just for the sake of changing it but for the right reasons and to play how they want to play and how they want to do things.

“That’s how they’ve been successful before.

“Don’t get me wrong, you evolve as managers and coaches but most managers don’t totally change their philosophy.

“It was tough for them and you don’t want to be involved in those situations but they’ve come out of it and they can move on now and it’ll be a totally different team and a different Colchester.

“You’ll see a more physical side, a more streetwise side.

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“I think they’ll bring a couple of more experienced boys in and it’ll definitely be for the better.

“I can’t see them not doing it their way and they’ve had the full backing of the fans.

“The fans couldn’t have backed them any more than they have, the gates have gone up and they have the managers they want and everyone is looking forward to pre-season now.

“Over the last three or four years, Colchester have been where they’ve been but you’ve got to look at a team like Crawley and think you can go from one to another.”

Duguid would love to see Colchester sign former Smith on a permanent basis, this summer.

Smith made a positive impact during his loan spell from League One side Lincoln City in the second half of this season, playing 15 times and scoring twice.

The 25-year-old midfielder is under contract with the Imps but Duguid would like to see him back.

“I think Alistair Smith would be a great signing,” said Duguid, who made more than 450 appearances for Colchester in his two spells with the club.

“Every time they played well, he played and when he came off against Grimsby you noticed the difference in the team and the way they were.

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“He would be a great signing – whether or not they try to get him, I don’t know.”

Colchester secured their League Two status on the final day of the season, following a 1-1 draw with Crewe Alexandra.

The U’s finished third from bottom in the table, three points above the relegation zone.

“They had to get over that line and I think they probably had a big sigh of relief and thought ‘now our work begins’, said Duguid, who spent time with the Cowleys at Colchester’s Florence Park training ground, in March.

“They’ve had a lot of games and a lot of learning about the squad and a lot of time to look at players and who they want and who they don’t want, making those decisions along the way.

“It became a little bit close at the end but I didn’t think it was ever in doubt.

“Sutton ran out of games, if I’m honest and if there had been another six or seven games, it might have been a different story.

“But I just felt Colchester had too much and Sutton had run out of games.

“The Crawley and Grimsby wins were massive in the end.

“That’s done now and they’ve got to push that aside.”