Colchester looking for back to back wins at Walsall after a tough start

After a hat-trick of losses to begin the season, the U’s turned a corner last weekend and claimed their first league victory with a 3-0 win on their travels against high-flying Gillingham.

Fiacre Kelleher, Samson Tovide and Bradley Ihionvien netted second-half goals for the away side to upset the form books and beat the League Two leaders at the time.

The win pulled Colchester out of the bottom two and gave the U’s their first points of the season as Will Greenidge and Tovide were named in the League Two Team of the Week following their impressive display.

Colchester currently sit 22nd just one place above the drop zone and two points behind Walsall who are winless in their last three league games.

When the two sides met last season, they played out two draws, 1-1 at the Bescot in September 2022 and 0-0 at the Colchester Community Stadium in the February Valentine’s Day return fixture.

The last three meetings between the sides have been draws, while Walsall claimed a 3-0 victory at home in December 2021.

Boss Ben Garner said: “The good thing is we know where the problems are and where they have been in the performances.

“If we were at full strength, with everyone we want to recruit in the building, and everyone fit and playing how we want to play and these results were happening, there’d probably be some alarm bells ringing.

“We’ve gone through a difficult period but we’re only going to get better from here on in and need to be judged at the end of the season, not at this stage.”

The U’s have been linked with a deadline day swoop for Carlisle’s Corey Whelan.