COLCHESTER United travel to play Grimsby Town in League Two this afternoon (kick-off 12.30pm).
The U’s head to Blundell Park for the televised clash on the back of a three-game unbeaten run and aiming to pull away from the relegation zone.
Here’s all you need to know, ahead of the U’s trip to face the Mariners.
Team news
Samson Tovide is pushing for a starting spot having come off the bench for Colchester in their last two matches.
The 20-year-old is back from an ankle injury and could make Danny Cowley’s starting line-up for the Grimsby clash.
Owura Edwards is also hoping to start following his return from a hamstring injury and Teddy Bishop could be named in the squad after resuming training, after a seven-week lay-off due to an ankle injury.
Colchester will check on the fitness of right-back Rob Hunt, after he suffered a calf problem at Barrow.
Milton Oni is out for several months after he suffered a serious knee injury against Brentford.
Predicted line-ups: Colchester United: Macey, Egbo, Flanagan, Donnelly, Iandolo, McDonnell, Read, Payne, Anderson, Edwards, Taylor
Grimsby Town: Wright, McJannet, Hume, Rodgers, Warren, McEachran, Khouri, Barrington, Luker, Davies, Rose
Colchester head coach Danny Cowley on Grimsby game: “Grimsby had their first draw of the season against Newport County, last weekend.
“They’ve done a really good job of winning football matches, hence the reason that they’re in the play-offs.
“I think they’ve got a good squad and some really good attacking players.
“There’s a lot to admire about them and we’ll have to be at our very best, on Saturday.
“They’ve had a lot of positive results away from home and some good results at home, especially at the start of the season.
“It’s a club that I know well from my time at Lincoln and there was a big rivalry between the two clubs.
“It’s a notoriously difficult place to go.
“We went there as Braintree managers when Grimsby were going for automatic promotion and managed to beat them 1-0 and went back in the play-offs and managed to beat them 1-0 then as well.
“We also had some really good games there as Lincoln managers.
“It’s a big club, a well-supported club and a very, very loyal fanatical fanbase.
“When I was young, Grimsby were a Championship club and I actually watched West Ham play there in the 1990s and won 2-1, as I remember.”
Head to head
Matt Macey is set to maintain his ever-present run in League Two for Colchester United this season today.
His opposite number is expected to be Jordan Wright, who joined Grimsby in the summer from neighbours Lincoln City.
Last meeting
Colchester beat Grimsby 2-0 the last time the two teams met, last April.
Goals from Tom Hopper and John Akinde sealed the U’s win at the JobServe Community Stadium, despite Tom Dallison’s late red card.
Referee
Martin Woods is the man in the middle for today’s game.
He has presided over 13 games so far this season, showing 43 yellow cards and one red.
Odds
Colchester are 9/5 to beat Grimsby, according to Betfair. A home win is 6/5, with the draw 17/10.
Opposition view
Grimsby boss David Artell told the club’s website: “As much as we can say that Colchester are looking for their first away win, I think they’ve only lost two away from home in seven.
“They’ve drawn a lot, so we know they’re not far off and Danny Cowley’s sides are always a threat – always well set up, always hard to beat.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re hard to beat and we offer a threat going the other way and if we do, then we’ll have a good afternoon.
“We’ve got to get back to winning ways at home, it’s as simple as that whether it’s Colchester or Chelsea or whoever it might be – we’ve got to win the next game.”
League Two fixtures, today (3pm unless stated): Grimsby Town v Colchester United (12.30pm), Notts County v Newport County (12.30pm), AFC Wimbledon v Walsall, Bradford City v Accrington Stanley, Carlisle United v Doncaster Rovers, Chesterfield v Barrow, Fleetwood Town v Milton Keynes Dons, Gillingham v Harrogate Town, Salford City v Bromley, Swindon Town v Morecambe.
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