There was a big New Year's Day shock awaiting Colchester United who today find themselves poised perilously just above the Division Two relegation trapdoor.
Only bottom club Huddersfield, plus Cheltenham, Peterborough and Mansfield are below them after yesterday's game at Brentford was called off because of a waterlogged pitch at Griffin Park.
While the U's, 18th in the table at the start of the day, were left kicking their heels in torrential rain Northampton, 2-1 winners at Barnsley, and Port Vale, who shared a 1-1 draw at Stockport, inched above them.
Most of the U's players who were due to travel to Brentford had gathered at Layer Road before yesterday's match was called off.
But team boss Steve Whitton and his Layer Road squad now have a vital game in hand on all those clubs around them.
Whitton said: "That's all the incentive we want to go out and win our next game.
"It was very frustrating having the Brentford match called off when we were all ready to travel because the lads were geared up and prepared to play the game.
"We had an idea the game would be off because Brentford informed us it was in serious doubt the day before.
"But there are still a lot of points to play for and they are there for the taking if we are all prepared to dig in and work hard."
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Published Thursday, January 2, 2003
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