Mike Edwards and Marc Canham were today waiting for a call from Colchester United boss Phil Parkinson that will secure their immediate future in League football.

Edwards and Canham are on the look-out for new contracts and did their cause no harm at all with useful performances in a goalless draw at Plymouth.

The result stretched the U's recent fine run to just one defeat in 13 outings.

Edwards, 23 in 18 days time, already has a lot of first-team experience with over 200 League and cup outings as a defender with Third Division Hull City and is very keen to carve out a new career for himself at Layer Road.

He told the Evening Gazette "I'm waiting to see what the manager is going to do, but he has given me this chance to step up into Division Two football and I don't want to waste it.

"I saw straight away when he signed me on transfer deadline day what a great set-up there is at Colchester and hopefully I can be a part of it.

"I've played an average of 40 games a season for Hull and I have great belief in my own ability. I now want to show the manager what I can do until the end of the season."

Until Saturday, 20-year-old former U's youth-team midfielder Canham had experienced just 29 minutes of League football against Cardiff City in the penultimate home game last season.

He told the Evening Gazette: "The manager told me on Thursday morning that I was playing against Plymouth and now I want some more of it.

"Hopefully I have done enough to be given another chance."

Published Monday, April 7 , 2003

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