Preview Colchester United

Newport County AFC travel to the JobServe Community Stadium to take on Colchester United on Saturday afternoon.

A win would do wonders for both teams, with County looking to break back into the play-off places, while Colchester can separate themselves from relegation fears.

Here, you can find all the facts and statistics ahead of this Sky Bet League Two fixture...

The opposition - Colchester United

Colchester currently occupy 20th place in the SkyBet League Two table, taking 36 points from their 31 games this season. The U’s have won eight games so far, with 12 draws and 11 losses.

United enjoyed a positive start to the season, losing just two of their opening 12 matches and picking up five wins along the way. However, Colchester followed this with a run of 14 matches without a win.

They managed their first win since December in their last outing against Carlisle, under the new management of Wayne Brown.

Team news

County are again without any fresh injury concerns, although Luke Gambin will be unavailable to feature against his parent club after joining the Exiles on loan in the summer.

Colchester interim boss Wayne Brown opted to make three changes for the U’s victory over Carlisle, with Dean Gerken out injured. Elsewhere, Josh Doherty and Kwame Poku were replaced by Omar Sowunmi and Aramide Oteh.

One to watch – Callum Harriott

Forward Callum Harriott is currently in his second spell at Colchester, after rejoining in September 2019 from Reading. So far this season, Harriott has eight goals and five assists in 29 appearances.

The 26-year-old forward scored both goals in United’s last outing against Carlisle, securing the 2-1 win. The U’s are yet to lose a game in which Harriott has scored.

During his first spell with the U’s, a loan from Charlton Athletic, Harriott became a fan favourite after scoring five times in his 20 appearances during the 2015/16 season.

Manager – Wayne Brown

Wayne Brown is in interim charge at the JobServe Community Stadium after taking over from Steve Ball, who left on February 23rd.

Brown has overseen two matches, starting with a loss against high-flying Forest Green. However, his second match achieved United’s first win in 14 matches, defeating Carlisle 2-1.

This is the 43-year-old’s second spell in interim charge at Colchester, the first coming in December 2015.

Last meeting between the sides

The last meeting between these two sides came in October, where late drama was once again a feature at Rodney Parade.

County took the lead in the 51st minute through Scott Twine, but it looked like Colchester had rescued a point through Devani Brown when he levelled with one minute left on the clock.

However, the Exiles secured all three points in the first minute of injury time when Padraig Amond found the net.