COLCHESTER United take a break from League Two action this weekend when they travel to play Swindon Town, in the FA Cup.

The divisional rivals will both be hoping to progress to the second round, ahead of the league meeting between the two clubs in December.

The Gazette looks at five links between the two clubs, ahead of Saturday’s first-round tie at the County Ground.

1 COLCHESTER United have several players in their squad who are set to face their former club this weekend.

The U’s quartet of Jack Payne, Mandela Egbo, Ellis Iandolo and Rob Hunt all had spells at Swindon Town, earlier in their career.

(Image: RICHARD BLAXALL)

In the case of Iandolo, the County Ground will be very familiar territory, with the left-sided defender having spent eight years with the Robins, making 172 league and cup appearances for them before leaving to join Colchester in the summer of 2023.

There’s also a U’s link in the Swindon squad too, with former Colchester youngster Will Wright now plying his trade with the Robins.

Wright spent two years at the U’s but left in 2019 without making a competitive appearance for them and has been a regular for them in League Two this season, having joined them from Crawley Town in the summer.

2 THIS weekend’s tie between Colchester United and Swindon Town is the second meeting between the two sides, in the FA Cup.

The two clubs locked swords in the competition at the second-round stage in December, 2011 at the JobServe Community Stadium.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

On that occasion, a U’s side containing the likes of Ian Henderson, Anthony Wordsworth and Kayode Odejayi lost 1-0, with future Premier League star Matt Ritchie scoring the Robins’ second-half winner.

3 THE County Ground will forever be associated with Danny Cowley’s reign as Colchester United head coach.

That’s because it was the venue for the Cowleys’ first game in charge of the U’s, back in January.

It was a dramatic afternoon, with Colchester going 2-0 down following goals from Charlie Austin and Tom Brewitt but strikes from Matt Jay and Bradley Ihionvien rescued a point for the U’s.

(Image: RICHARD BLAXALL)

4 COLCHESTER United’s promotion-winning squad of 2005-06 benefited from two players joining them from Swindon Town.

Phil Parkinson’s decision to bring in Jamie Cureton on loan from the Robins in October, 2005 proved a crucial one, as the striker hit the net seven times during his time at Layer Road before eventually making a permanent move to Colchester, the following summer.

Cureton went on to have a superb 2006-07 campaign for the U’s, winning the Championship Golden Boot and helping the club achieve the highest-ever position in their history.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

Tony Thorpe was another striker who made the move from Swindon to Colchester in the U’s unforgettable promotion season, under Phil Parkinson.

Thorpe joined the U’s on a permanent basis from the Robins in January, 2006 and made 14 appearances for them in their memorable campaign.

Two other Colchester favourites in the Championship – Johnnie Jackson and Mark Yeates – also had loan spells at Swindon prior to signing for the U’s.

5 COLCHESTER United will come up against the charismatic Ian Holloway, this weekend.

The former QPR and Blackpool manager was last week appointed Swindon Town’s new boss and will take charge of the Robins for the first time, in the FA Cup first-round clash.

Holloway will take charge of his first game in EFL football since 2020 and one of his last games at Grimsby Town came at the JobServe Community Stadium, in rather surreal circumstances.

(Image: RICHARD BLAXALL)

He took his Mariners side to North Essex for a League Two game during Covid, where Colchester welcomed supporters back to their stadium for the first time in more than nine months in December, 2020.

Nearly 1,000 spectators attended the League Two clash which the U’s won 2-1, thanks to goals from Tommy Smith and Callum Harriott.