2017–18 Colchester United F.C. season

Colchester United announced their retain list on 10 May 2017. Left back Matthew Briggs and fellow defender Lloyd Doyley were both released after the club decided against offering them a new contract, while under-23 players Femi Akinwande, Callum Harrison, Brendan Ocran, Dexter Peter, Rhys Williams and Ben Wyatt were also not offered new deals.[5][6] Meanwhile, goalkeeper Dean Brill, defenders Richard Brindley, Tom Eastman, George Elokobi, Lewis Kinsella and Kane Vincent-Young, midfielder Charley Edge, and forwards Diaz Wright, Drey Wright and Chris Porter were all offered new deals.[7]

Two Academy players signed one year development contracts on 25 May. Central defender Josh Pollard and forward Eoin McKeown signed their first professional deals ahead of stepping up to the under-23 squad.[8]

Last season's top goalscorer Chris Porter opted to leave the club on the expiry of his contract, instead signing a two-year deal at League Two rivals Crewe Alexandra on 31 May after turning down a new contract offer.[9]

Tom Eastman became the first Colchester United out of contract first-team player to sign a new deal on 28 June, agreeing a two-year extension.[10] The following day, Drey Wright,[11] Lewis Kinsella,[12] and Kane Vincent-Young all agreed one-year extensions to their existing contracts.[13]

With Richard Brindley turning down Colchester's contract offer, the U's announced the signing of former Gillingham right-back Ryan Jackson on 30 June, with his contract set to begin on 1 July.[14] George Elokobi also left Colchester after failing to agree on a new contract with the club.[15] Goalkeeper Dean Brill opted not to sign a new contract after failing to break into the first team.[16]

On 3 July, the club announced that Charley Edge, Decarrey Sheriff and Diaz Wright had all agreed new one-year contracts.[17]

A restructuring of backroom coaching staff meant Ademola Bankole left after nine years as the club's goalkeeping coach, while former Watford goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin arrived as his replacement and to provide competition to Sam Walker and Dillon Barnes.[18] Paul Smith arrived from Southend United as Head of Academy goalkeeper coaching,[19] while former Wales midfielder Chris Llewellyn joined Colchester as under-18 lead coach.[20]

Colchester played their first pre-season friendly on 8 July 2017. In their annual friendly match against Maldon & Tiptree, the U's earned a 2–0 victory with a goal from Doug Loft in the first half, and Louis Dunne in the second half.[21] On 11 July, Colchester played their second pre-season match against Needham Market. Goals from Denny Johnstone, Tariq Issa and two from Sammie Szmodics sealed a 4–0 victory for the visitors.[22]

Midfielder Tarryn Allarakhia signed a one-year development contract on 12 July, joining from Maldon & Tiptree.[23]

On 14 July, Academy product Macauley Bonne left the club to join National League side Leyton Orient, signing for an undisclosed fee alongside former U's player George Elokobi.[24] Colchester won their third successive friendly the same day, beating Llandudno 1–0 in north Wales courtesy of a Denny Johnstone goal.[25]

Cole Kpekawa joined Colchester for a second spell on 17 July, signing a one-year deal from Barnsley for an undisclosed fee having featured on loan from Queens Park Rangers during the 2014–15 season.[26] Meanwhile, injury-stricken Brennan Dickenson revealed that the serious knee injury he sustained in training in April 2017 would keep him out of first-team action until February 2018.[27]

On 18 July, Colchester recorded their fourth consecutive pre-season victory with a 2–0 win against a West Ham United XI at the Colchester Community Stadium. Drey Wright and Denny Johnstone were the goalscorers.[28]

Colchester signed Wigan Athletic forward Mikael Mandron on 21 July. He signed for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal.[29] On 22 July, the U's claimed their fifth pre-season win with a 3–0 victory against Braintree Town. Sammie Szmodics scored twice and Louis Dunne added a third late on to secure the win.[30]

On 24 July, United were hit by the news that club captain Luke Prosser would be ruled out of action for a further two months after undergoing a further operation on his injured knee.[31]

Colchester suffered their first pre-season defeat on 25 July when they slipped to a 1–0 defeat to Ipswich Town at the Community Stadium.[32] Another defeat followed against Gillingham on 28 July, falling to a 2–1 defeat. Colchester's goal was scored by Ryan Jackson against his former club.[33] Colchester also confirmed the signing of defender Dan Jefferies from Swansea City who joined the under-23 side on 28 July,[34] and midfielder Sam Warde joined the under-23s from Huddersfield Town on 31 July.[35]

On 1 August, Colchester made two further under-23 additions, with the signing of Australian goalkeeper Dominic Kurasik from Brentford and former-Crystal Palace left-back Callum Sturgess on one-year contracts.[36]

On the eve of the new league season, Alex Wynter had his contract cancelled by mutual consent and then immediately signed for National League side Maidstone United.[37]

Colchester's League Two campaign began at Accrington Stanley on 5 August. Ryan Jackson and Mikael Mandron made the starting eleven for their debuts, while Cole Kpekawa made his second debut for the club from the substitutes bench. Accrington took a ninth-minute lead through Kayden Jackson, and went 2–0 up through Billy Kee's 32nd-minute strike. The U's found themselves 3–0 down after the break when Omar Beckles scored, but pulled a late goal back from half-time substitute Sammie Szmodics.[38]

On 7 August, Colchester signed Coventry City winger Kyel Reid on loan until January.[39] Dillon Barnes joined National League South side Welling United for one month on 8 August.[40]

Colchester hosted Championship side Aston Villa in the first round of the EFL Cup on 9 August. A mistake from goalkeeper Sam Walker allowed Scott Hogan to slot in an early opening goal for the visitors. Mikael Mandron missed a chance to equalise from the penalty spot when his effort was saved by Jed Steer, before an unfortunate Frankie Kent scored an own goal to double Villa's lead on 19 minutes. Kent redeemed himself six minutes before the interval to reduce Colchester's deficit at 2–1. However, the score remained the same through the second half as Colchester exited the competition at the first round stage for the seventh consecutive season.[2]

The U's earned their first league point of the season on 12 August when they drew 1–1 with Stevenage at the Community Stadium. Stevenage took a second-half lead through Danny Newton, but Mikael Mandron equalised 15-minutes later to score his first competitive goal for the club.[41]

On 15 August, Colchester offered new contracts to Brennan Dickenson, Kurtis Guthrie, Frankie Kent, Tom Lapslie and Drey Wright,[42] while winger Dion Sembie-Ferris was released by mutual consent in search of first-team football.[43] On 18 August, it was announced that goalkeeper Daniel Wilks had joined the under-23 squad on loan from Maldon & Tiptree until January 2018,[44] while centre-back Josh Pollard, right-back George Keys, and left winger Ryan Clampin all joined Maldon & Tiptree on youth and work experience loans.[45] Also joining the club was defender Will Wright who joined on a two-year contract from Hitchin Town.[44]

The U's were defeated 3–0 at Luton Town on 19 August. A first-half injury time goal put the hosts ahead and Luton added a further two in the second half to leave Colchester in the relegation zone.[46]

Denny Johnstone made a season-long loan move to St Johnstone on 24 August,[47] while Louis Dunne also temporarily left the club on loan, joining National League South side Concord Rangers for one month.[48]

Colchester earned their first win of the season on 26 August in their first-ever meeting with Forest Green Rovers. Kyel Reid scored his first U's goal after only four minutes of play, before Frankie Kent scored the second goal of the game and his second of the season. Forest Green scored two minutes later to make it 2–1. Sammie Szmodics scored 20-minutes into the second half, before Kane Vincent-Young became the second player of the day to score his first Colchester goal. Three minutes into injury time, Courtney Senior, making his first-team debut from the bench, scored to finalise a 5–1 win.[49]

In the first group stage match of the EFL Trophy, Colchester hosted Reading U23 at the Community Stadium. Sammie Szmodics continued his goalscoring form inside five minutes, but Reading equalised through Josh Barrett before taking the lead through Ben House prior to half-time. Second-half substitute Eoin McKeown, making his first-team debut, equalised in the 87th minute to take the tie to a penalty shoot-out. The U's won 6–5, earning a bonus point for the win on penalties.[3]

With the transfer window closing at 11pm on 31 August, Colchester made numerous deadline day signings, both on loan and permanent. First, Queens Park Rangers midfielder Brandon Comley signed on loan until January 2018.[50] Young Charlton Athletic striker Brandon Hanlan also joined on loan until January,[51] while free agent Sanmi Odelusi signed a permanent six-month contract after the forward had been training with the U's over the summer since his release by Wigan Athletic.[52] Another striker followed suit in signing, with Portsmouth's Nicke Kabamba arriving on loan until January,[53] while Crystal Palace centre-half Ryan Inniss signed on loan until the end of the season.[54]

Colchester started September with defeat at Cambridge United. Naming an unchanged starting eleven from the side that beat Forest Green 5–1 the previous weekend, the U's fell to a 1–0 defeat on 2 September thanks to a second-half goal from Uche Ikpeazu.[55]

Eli Phipps joined Dillon Barnes on loan at Welling United on 8 September, while Barnes' loan was extended until 8 November.[56] Also heading out on loan was Charley Edge, who signed on a one-month deal at National League North side Leamington.[57]

Colchester returned to winning ways with an impressive first-half performance against Crawley Town in a 3–1 win. Sammie Szmodics scored his fourth goal of the season before assisting Ryan Jackson's first goal for the club after 14-minutes. Mikael Mandron completed the home sides scoring on 38-minutes. In the second-half, Sam Walker saved a Mark Randall penalty, but Crawley did pull a goal back from Jimmy Smith on 66-minutes.[58] They were then held to a 1–1 draw against Chesterfield on 12 September. Louis Reed scored for the visitors shortly before half-time but debutant Brandon Hanlan scored from the substitutes bench after 82-minutes.[59]

Colchester's terrible away form continued on 16 September with a 3–1 defeat at Cheltenham Town. Within 15-minutes, the U's found themselves 2–0 down with both goals coming from Cheltenham's Kevin Dawson. Colchester were awarded a penalty in the 26th minute after Taylor Moore handled in the penalty area and Sammie Szmodics converted to score his fifth goal of the campaign. In the second-half, Mikael Mandron was sent off for a hand ball offence in the penalty area, but Brian Graham's penalty was saved by Sam Walker. Shortly afterwards, Jamie Grimes scored to complete the victory for Cheltenham and condemn Colchester to their fourth successive away defeat.[60]

On 16 September, winger George Brown made his debut East Thurrock United in an FA Cup win against Biggleswade Town after joining the club on loan earlier.[61] Meanwhile, young goalkeeper Dominic Kurasik also left the club on loan to join Maldon & Tiptree, signing on 19 September.[62]

On 21 September, Frankie Kent signed a new contract with the club to remain until summer 2020.[63]

Colchester's next game was against old rivals Wycombe Wanderers at the Community Stadium. Despite having the better of the possession, the U's went down 1–0 after 32-minutes from a Nathan Tyson goal, but Brandon Hanlan equalised shortly before half-time to score his second goal in only his third Colchester appearance. Craig Mackail-Smith scored Wycombe's winner in the 67th minute as the visitors held on for a 2–1 victory.[64]

The U's travelled to Grimsby Town on 26 September for a midweek league fixture. A frantic start saw Kyel Reid score the opener, before JJ Hooper equalised two minutes later. In the second-half, Reid scored his second of the game, but an 89th-minute penalty from Sam Jones shared the spoils.[65]

On 30 September, Colchester recorded a 1–0 away win at Yeovil Town, their first away victory of the season. Sean Murray's first goal for the club proved to be the difference between the sides as the U's moved up to 16th in the League Two table.[66]

October began with a narrow 1–0 defeat in the EFL Trophy at home to Gillingham on 3 October. An injury-time winner from Max Ehmer was enough to separate the two sides.[67]

Colchester earned their first successive league win of the season on 7 October by beating Mansfield Town 2–0 at the Community Stadium. Sean Murray followed up his debut goal for the club with another the following weekend after 29-minutes, before Mikael Mandron doubled the U's lead five minutes later.[68]

The U's hosted Carlisle United on 14 October, losing 1–0 in a close affair in which Colchester mostly dominated.[69]

On 16 October, Diaz Wright joined Needham Market on loan until the end of November,[70] while Colchester were drawn at home to Oxford City in the first round of the FA Cup which would be the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.[71]

They returned to winning ways three days later with an away victory at Newport County ending the home sides' ten game unbeaten home record which stretched back to March. Following a goalless first-half, former County defender Ryan Jackson scored his second goal of the season after 72-minutes, before Mikael Mandron added a second five minutes later. Shawn McCoulsky pulled a goal back for Newport on 86-minutes but the U's held on to record a 2–1 win.[72] A 0–0 draw at Coventry City followed, a match in which Tom Lapslie was sent off following two bookings in less than a minute after a yellow card for a foul and then a red card for a deliberate hand ball.[73]

Colchester closed out October to come from behind and win at home to Crewe Alexandra on 28 October. Jordan Bowery gave Crewe a 22nd-minute lead, but this was cancelled out by Mikael Mandron's fifth goal of the season six minutes before half-time. The U's took the lead on the hour mark when Tom Eastman headed in his first goal of the campaign, before Mandron scored his second of the game on 71-minutes to round off a 3–1 victory.[74]

As a result of collecting ten points in five league games through October, John McGreal was nominated for the October EFL League Two Manager of the Month award.[75] Meanwhile, Mikael Mandron, who scored four goals in five league games during October was nominated for the EFL League Two Player of the Month award.[76]

Colchester were knocked out of the FA Cup in the first round by Oxford City on 4 November. The U's fell to a 1–0 defeat at the Community Stadium.[77] This was followed up by an EFL Trophy Essex derby defeat to Southend United, who won 2–0 to knock Colchester out of the competition at the group stage for the second successive season.[78]

Returning to league competition on 11 November, Sammie Szmodics scored his sixth goal of the season from the bench to earn Colchester a 1–0 win at Barnet.[79] They were then held to a 0–0 draw at home against Morecambe on 18 November to extend their unbeaten run to five league games.[80] Their good run continued on 21 November when Sammie Szmodics again proved the difference with an early goal in Colchester's 1–0 home win against Lincoln City.[81]

During their away game at Notts County on 25 November, following a goalless first-half, County took the lead when Shola Ameobi scored from the penalty spot after Mikael Mandron fouled Ryan Yates in the area. Mandron later missed a penalty kick of his own after Ryan Jackson was fouled by Jorge Grant. However, Colchester looked to have secured a point when substitute Sanmi Odelusi scored his first goal for the club and levelled the match in the 89th minute. Ryan Yates then scored in the third minute of injury time to hand the home team a 2–1 victory.[82]

Following a two-week break due to their early FA Cup exit, Colchester returned to action in a home match against Exeter City on 9 December. The U's were gifted the lead when Troy Archibald-Henville scored an own goal after 23-minutes. Then, three minutes later, Sammie Szmodics scored from the penalty spot after Kane Vincent-Young was brought down in the box by Jake Taylor. Colchester then scored a third goal in seven minutes as Szmodics netted his ninth of the season. Exeter pulled a goal back in the second half through Jayden Stockley as Colchester held on to a 3–1 victory.[83]

Forward Nicke Kabamba made an early return to parent club Portsmouth on 14 December after failing to score in ten appearances for the U's.[84]

On 15 December, Colchester won a five-goal thriller at Swindon Town to promote themselves into the play-off positions. They fell behind on 36-minutes from a Kaiyne Woolery goal before Frankie Kent scored an equaliser from a corner kick in first half injury time. Mikael Mandron then put the U's ahead on 63-minutes, but then Swindon equalised through Kellan Gordon. Two minutes later, Colchester had the lead again as Sammie Szmodics beat a man to record his tenth goal of the campaign.[85]

On 21 December, forward Sanmi Odelusi was told that his contract would not be renewed when it expired on 31 December.[86]

Sammie Szmodics scored his tenth league goal of the season in Colchester's 1–1 home draw with Port Vale on 23 December. He opened the scoring after 32-minutes, but Vale equalised in the second half through Marcus Harness.[87] They then secured a 2–0 win at Crawley Town on Boxing Day. A goal in either half from Mikael Mandron and Sammie Szmodics secured victory which moved the U's up to fifth position in the league table.[88]

In the final game of 2017, Chesterfield held the U's to a 0–0 draw at the Proact Stadium.[89]

Following an unbeaten December including three wins and two draws, Sammie Szmodics was nominated for League Two Player of the Month, becoming the second Colchester player of the season to receive the nomination, while John McGreal was nominated for the League Two Manager of the Month award for a second time this campaign.[90] On 12 January, it was revealed Szmodics was named as Player of the Month for League Two.[91]

Colchester recorded their second consecutive goalless draw at home to Cambridge United on New Year's Day to remain 8th in League Two.[92]

On 3 January, Craig Slater moved to Scottish Championship side Dundee United on loan until the end of the season.[93] The U's bolstered their forward line with two signings from Maldon & Tiptree. Incoming were Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, who had scored 34 goals in 34 games this season and was the top scorer in the Isthmian League, and also left-sided player Ryan Gondoh.[94] The following day, Lewis Kinsella and Tommy O'Sullivan both left the club in loan deals. Kinsella joined National League side Aldershot Town initially until early February,[95] while O'Sullivan signed for fellow National League side Torquay United until the end of the campaign.[96]

Colchester suffered their joint-worst defeat of the season so far on 6 January as they crashed to a 4–1 home defeat by Cheltenham Town. Kurtis Guthrie started his first league game of the season and scored on 40 minutes to hand the U's a 1–0 advantage going in to the interval. However, Kyel Reid was sent off for violent conduct just a minute before half-time. Cheltenham got back into the game through Sanmi Odelusi registering a debut goal and his first since his switch from Colchester. The floodgates then opened as Nigel Atangana, Jerell Sellars and Mohamed Eisa each scored to give the away side all three points.[97]

On 8 January, young centre forward Eoin McKeown rejoined Maldon & Tiptree on loan until the end of the season.[98]

The U's recorded their second successive defeat for the first time since September as they fell to a 3–1 defeat at Wycombe on 13 January. Adebayo Akinfenwa scored the host's opener after 14-minutes and then their lead was doubled by Paris Cowan-Hall on 24-minutes. With 15-minutes remaining, Wycombe scored a third through Luke O'Nien, before Sammie Szmodics pulled a goal back for Colchester four minutes later. The game did however see the first appearance of the season for club captain Luke Prosser.[99]

On 17 January, Brandon Comley joined Colchester permanently, signing for an undisclosed fee.[100] He joined on a ​2 ¹⁄₂-year contract.[101]

Colchester were held to a 1–1 draw at home against Grimsby on 20 January. The visitors took the lead through Charles Vernam on 38-minutes, but Sean Murray's equaliser shortly after the break earned a point for the U's.[102]

The U's made a defensive signing on 24 January by bringing in Millwall youngster Paul Rooney on a ​1 ¹⁄₂-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[103] Leaving the club on loan for a second spell in the National League South was goalkeeper Dillon Barnes, who joined Hemel Hempstead Town for an initial month-long loan on 26 January.[104]

On 27 January, Colchester conceded a late goal to draw at Port Vale. Courtney Senior scored on his first start for the club to give the U's the lead after 12-minutes, only for David Worrall to equalise on 33-minutes. Four minutes in to first-half injury time, Drey Wright scored his first goal of the season to again hand the lead to Colchester. However, Worrall scored again in the 87th minute to rescue a point for the home side and leave the U's without a win in six games.[105]

Transfer deadline day fell on 31 January and the club's first business of the day was the signing of Queens Park Rangers winger Olamide Shodipo on loan until the end of the season. They also signed Doncaster Rovers forward Liam Mandeville on loan until the end of the season, while Lewis Kinsella, who was on loan at Aldershot Town, had his contract cancelled by mutual consent. He then signed a permanent deal with Aldershot.[106] Also on the way out was under-23s defender Dan Jefferies who joined Scottish Premiership side Dundee.[107] Aaron Barnes arrived on a permanent basis from Charlton Athletic, while Ben Stevenson signed on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers after joining the Championship side from Coventry City earlier in the day.[108]

After signing for Colchester on 31 January, Aaron Barnes rejoined Torquay United on loan until the end of the season on 1 February, having previously been on loan there from Charlton earlier in January.[109] On 2 February, Cameron James headed out on loan for the remainder of the season to National League South side and his hometown club Chelmsford City.[110]

On 3 February, Colchester recorded their first win of 2018. Following a goalless first-half with Newport County, substitute and debutant Ben Stevenson scored ten minutes after arriving on the pitch, before Tom Eastman doubled the U's lead after a goal mouth scramble. The two sides swapped places in the League Two table on the back of the result.[111] They followed this up with a 1–1 draw at Carlisle, Courtney Senior scoring the goal for the U's on 10 February.[112] The U's then won 2–1 at home against Coventry City. Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe scored on his first start for the club from the penalty spot on 27-minutes, but on 56-minutes, Tom Bayliss scored an equaliser for the visitors. Two minutes from time, Mikael Mandron converted an Ogedi-Uzokwe cross to seal the win for the U's.[113] Colchester's patchy form then continued with a 1–0 defeat at Crewe on 17 February,[114] and then a further 1–0 defeat against Barnet at home on 24 February.[115]

Diaz Wright signed for Braintree Town on loan on 9 March.[116]

Automatic promotion hopefuls Mansfield Town hosted the U's on 10 March. They took the lead through Kane Hemmings after 22-minutes, but after the break Colchester levelled through Brandon Comley, his first-ever professional goal. The U's held on to earn a point but slipped into the bottom-half of the table.[117]

On 16 March, Charley Edge joined Needham Market on loan until the end of the season.[118]

Colchester missed an opportunity to take an early lead against Yeovil on 17 March after Sammie Szmodics had an eighth-minute penalty kick saved by Stuart Nelson. The visitors then took the lead in the 21st minute from an Alex Fisher goal. Yeovil held on to record a 1–0 victory and leave Colchester nine points adrift of the play-off positions.[119] They were then held to a 0–0 draw at Morecambe on 20 March.[120]

The U's earned their first win in five and their first away victory in 2018 on 24 March as they defeated Stevenage 1–0 at Broadhall Way. Mikael Mandron's first-half goal proved to be the difference between the sides.[121]

On 29 March, Kurtis Guthrie had his contract with the club cancelled by mutual consent, with his final appearance arriving in the 1–0 defeat by Yeovil on 17 March when he had an on-field confrontation with Sammie Szmodics over taking Colchester's penalty kick.[122]

Colchester earned their first back-to-back victories since December with a 2–1 win over promotion-chasing Luton Town at the Community Stadium in their Good Friday fixture. The tie was marred by the serious injury to Hatters' midfielder Luke Berry in only the second minute of the game when his leg was accidentally caught by U's midfielder Tom Lapslie in a challenge. Both sets of players were taken off the pitch while Berry received eleven minutes of treatment on the field before being taken to hospital. When play resumed, Tom Eastman scored the opening goal after 15-minutes of play, before Luke Prosser doubled the advantage for the home side with his first goal for the club. Late in the second-half, Ryan Jackson fouled Luke Gambin in the penalty area which was converted by Danny Hylton but Colchester held on for victory.[123]

For the first time this season, and the first time since December 2016, Colchester earned a third consecutive league victory in their first-ever visit to The New Lawn stadium when they faced Forest Green Rovers. Drey Wright scored within 19-seconds to give sthe visitors an early advantage, but the U's were pegged back when Tom Eastman fouled Haydn Hollis in the box and Reuben Reid converted. Early in the second-half, Colchester's lead was restored when Ben Stevenson scored 90-seconds after the interval. Again, Colchester held on to their single goal advantage to take victory.[124] However, Colchester's run was halted by league-leaders Accrington Stanley on 7 April who claimed a 1–0 win at the Community Stadium.[125]

On 13 April, after failing to make an appearance since January, Cole Kpekawa left the club by mutual consent.[126]

Colchester fell to their second successive home defeat on 14 April when Notts County earned a 3–1 win at the Community Stadium. Drey Wright had opened the scoring within the first ten minutes of play, but a revival in the second half by County through Jonathan Forte, Shola Ameobi and Richard Duffy saw the away side claim victory.[127]

On 18 April, having broken into the first-team, Courtney Senior signed a new two-year contract with the club.[128] He then stepped off the bench in his next game against Lincoln City to score the equaliser for Colchester after they had fallen behind five minutes earlier to an Elliott Whitehouse penalty. In the 83rd minute of the game, with the scores at 1–1, Michael Bostwick was sent off for the home side, but the U's couldn't capitalise on their man advantage, and went on to lose 2–1 when substitute Luke Waterfall headed in the winner in the fourth minute of added time. The result ended Colchester's faint play-off hopes as they ended the day ten points behind seventh-placed Coventry with just two games remaining.[129]

Goalkeeper Dillon Barnes was handed his first league start for Colchester on 28 April in their final home game of the season against Swindon Town, and he kept a clean sheet as the match finished 0–0. Ryan Gondoh was also introduced as a second-half substitute to make his debut for the club.[130]

The U's completed their season with a whimper on 5 May as they were beaten 1–0 at Exeter City on 5 May, meaning they finished 13th in the league table, their worst league performance for 24 years.[131]

New contracts and contract extensions.

Date	Position	Nationality	Name	Length	Expiry	Ref.
25 May 2017	CB		Josh Pollard	1 year	June 2018	[8]
25 May 2017	CF		Eoin McKeown	1 year	June 2018	[8]
28 June 2017	CB		Tom Eastman	2 years	June 2019	[10]
29 June 2017	LB		Lewis Kinsella	1 year	June 2018	[12]
29 June 2017	LB/RB		Kane Vincent-Young	1 year	June 2018	[13]
29 June 2017	WG		Drey Wright	1 year	June 2018	[11]
1 July 2017	RB		Ryan Jackson	2 years	June 2019	[14]
3 July 2017	MF		Diaz Wright	1 year	June 2018	[17]
3 July 2017	WG		Charley Edge	1 year	June 2018	[17]
3 July 2017	FW		Decarrey Sheriff	1 year	June 2018	[17]
12 July 2017	MF		Tarryn Allarakhia	1 year	June 2018	[23]
17 July 2017	LB		Cole Kpekawa	1 year	June 2018	[26]
21 July 2017	CF		Mikael Mandron	2 years	June 2019	[29]
31 July 2017	MF		Sam Warde	1 year	June 2018	[35]
1 August 2017	GK		Dominic Kurasik	1 year	June 2018	[36]
1 August 2017	LB		Callum Sturgess	1 year	June 2018	[36]
18 August 2017	CB/RB		Will Wright	2 years	June 2019	[44]
31 August 2017	FW		Sanmi Odelusi	4 months	January 2018	[52]
21 September 2017	CB		Frankie Kent	3 years	June 2020	[63]
3 January 2018	LW		Ryan Gondoh	​1 1⁄2 years	June 2019	[94]
3 January 2018	FW		Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe	​1 1⁄2 years	June 2019	[94]
17 January 2018	MF		Brandon Comley	​2 1⁄2 years	June 2020	[101]
24 January 2018	DF		Paul Rooney	​1 1⁄2 years	June 2019	[103]
18 April 2018	WG		Courtney Senior	2 years	June 2020	[128]

Colchester United arranged six pre-season friendlies, against Braintree Town, Ipswich Town, Maldon & Tiptree,[162] West Ham United XI,[163] Welsh Premier League side Llandudno,[164] Needham Market,[165] and Gillingham.[166]

Maldon & Tiptree v Colchester United

8 July 2017 (2017-07-08) Friendly	Maldon & Tiptree	0–2	Colchester United	Maldon
15:00 BST		Report	Loft  43' Dunne  55'	Stadium: Wallace Binder Ground

Needham Market v Colchester United

11 July 2017 (2017-07-11) Friendly	Needham Market	0–4	Colchester United	Needham Market
19:00 BST		Report Report	Johnstone  25' Issa  80' Szmodics  88', 89'	Stadium: Bloomfields Attendance: 261

Llandudno v Colchester United

14 July 2017 (2017-07-14) Friendly	Llandudno	0–1	Colchester United	Llandudno
19:00 BST		Report	Johnstone  27'	Stadium: Maesdu Park Attendance: 342

Colchester United v West Ham United XI

18 July 2017 (2017-07-18) Friendly	Colchester United	2–0	West Ham United XI	Colchester
19:45 BST	Wright  5' Johnstone  60'	Report		Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 2,626 Referee: Tim Robinson

Braintree Town v Colchester United

22 July 2017 (2017-07-22) Friendly	Braintree Town	0–3	Colchester United	Braintree
15:00 BST		Report	Szmodics  26', 62' Dunne  82'	Stadium: Cressing Road Attendance: 619 Referee: Carl Pearce

Colchester United v Ipswich Town

25 July 2017 (2017-07-25) Friendly	Colchester United	0–1	Ipswich Town	Colchester
19:30 BST		Report	Garner  57'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,752

Colchester United v Gillingham

28 July 2017 (2017-07-28) Friendly	Colchester United	1–2	Gillingham	Colchester
19:30 BST	Jackson  70'	Report	Martin  29' Parker  54'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Referee: G Ward

On 21 June 2017, the league fixtures were announced.[167]

Accrington Stanley v Colchester United

5 August 2017 (2017-08-05) 1	Accrington Stanley	3–1	Colchester United	Accrington
15:00 BST	Jackson  9' Kee  32' Beckles  64'	Report	Szmodics  81'	Stadium: Crown Ground Attendance: 1,625 Referee: Ross Joyce

Colchester United v Stevenage

12 August 2017 (2017-08-12) 2	Colchester United	1–1	Stevenage	Colchester
15:00 BST	Mandron  65'	Report	Newton  51'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,330 Referee: Antony Coggins

Luton Town v Colchester United

19 August 2017 (2017-08-19) 3	Luton Town	3–0	Colchester United	Luton
15:00 BST	Lee  45+3' Collins  52' Potts  83'	Report		Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 7,865 Referee: Seb Stockbridge

Colchester United v Forest Green Rovers

26 August 2017 (2017-08-26) 4	Colchester United	5–1	Forest Green Rovers	Colchester
15:00 BST	Reid  4' Kent  21' Szmodics  65' Vincent-Young  74' Senior  90+3'	Report	Noble  23'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,047 Referee: Craig Hicks

Cambridge United v Colchester United

2 September 2017 (2017-09-02) 5	Cambridge United	1–0	Colchester United	Cambridge
15:00 BST	Ikpeazu  64'	Report		Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 4,511 Referee: Nick Kinseley

Colchester United v Crawley Town

9 September 2017 (2017-09-09) 6	Colchester United	3–1	Crawley Town	Colchester
15:00 BST	Szmodics  8' Jackson  14' Mandron  38'	Report	Smith  66'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 2,923 Referee: Graham Horwood

Colchester United v Chesterfield

12 September 2017 (2017-09-12) 7	Colchester United	1–1	Chesterfield	Colchester
19:45 BST	Hanlan  82'	Report	Reed  43'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 2,552 Referee: Darren Handley

Cheltenham Town v Colchester United

16 September 2017 (2017-09-16) 8	Cheltenham Town	3–1	Colchester United	Cheltenham
15:00 BST	Dawson  10', 15' Grimes  57'	Report	Szmodics  26' (pen.) Mandron  56'	Stadium: Whaddon Road Attendance: 2,718 Referee: Tom Nield

Colchester United v Wycombe Wanderers

23 September 2017 (2017-09-23) 9	Colchester United	1–2	Wycombe Wanderers	Colchester
15:00 BST	Hanlan  43'	Report	Tyson  32' Mackail-Smith  67'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,562 Referee: Brett Huxtable

Grimsby Town v Colchester United

26 September 2017 (2017-09-26) 10	Grimsby Town	2–2	Colchester United	Cleethorpes
19:45 BST	Hooper  7' Jones  89' (pen.)	Report	Reid  5', 59'	Stadium: Blundell Park Attendance: 3,438 Referee: Darren Drysdale

Yeovil Town v Colchester United

30 September 2017 (2017-09-30) 11	Yeovil Town	0–1	Colchester United	Yeovil
15:00 BST		Report	Murray  43'	Stadium: Huish Park Attendance: 2,556 Referee: Antony Coggins

Colchester United v Mansfield Town

7 October 2017 (2017-10-07) 12	Colchester United	2–0	Mansfield Town	Colchester
15:00 BST	Murray  29' Mandron  34'	Report		Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,262 Referee: John Busby

Colchester United v Carlisle United

14 October 2017 (2017-10-14) 13	Colchester United	0–1	Carlisle United	Colchester
15:00 BST		Report	Devitt  58'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,402 Referee: Charles Breakspear

Newport County v Colchester United

17 October 2017 (2017-10-17) 14	Newport County	1–2	Colchester United	Newport
19:45 BST	McCoulsky  86'	Report	Jackson  72' Mandron  77'	Stadium: Rodney Parade Attendance: 2,704 Referee: Darren England

Coventry City v Colchester United

21 October 2017 (2017-10-21) 15	Coventry City	0–0	Colchester United	Coventry
15:00 BST		Report	Lapslie  75'  76'	Stadium: Ricoh Arena Attendance: 7,149 Referee: Michael Salisbury

Colchester United v Crewe Alexandra

28 October 2017 (2017-10-28) 16	Colchester United	3–1	Crewe Alexandra	Colchester
15:00 BST	Mandron  39', 71' Eastman  60'	Report	Bowery  22'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,088 Referee: Kevin Johnson

Barnet v Colchester United

11 November 2017 (2017-11-11) 17	Barnet	0–1	Colchester United	Canons Park
15:00 GMT		Report	Szmodics  83'	Stadium: The Hive Stadium Attendance: 2,301 Referee: John Brooks

Colchester United v Lincoln City

21 November 2017 (2017-11-21) 19	Colchester United	1–0	Lincoln City	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Szmodics  3'	Report		Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,102 Referee: Graham Horwood

Notts County v Colchester United

25 November 2017 (2017-11-25) 20	Notts County	2–1	Colchester United	Nottingham
15:00 GMT	Ameobi  68' (pen.) Yates  90+3'	Report	Odelusi  89'	Stadium: Meadow Lane Attendance: 6,770 Referee: Mark Heywood

Colchester United v Exeter City

9 December 2017 (2017-12-09) 21	Colchester United	3–1	Exeter City	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Archibald-Henville  23' (o.g.) Szmodics  26' (pen.), 30'	Report	Stockley  62'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,049 Referee: Darren Drysdale

Swindon Town v Colchester United

15 December 2017 (2017-12-15) 22	Swindon Town	2–3	Colchester United	Swindon
19:45 GMT	Woolery  36' Gordon  76'	Report	Kent  45+1' Mandron  63' Szmodics  78'	Stadium: County Ground Attendance: 6,020 Referee: John Busby

Colchester United v Port Vale

23 December 2017 (2017-12-23) 23	Colchester United	1–1	Port Vale	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Szmodics  32'	Report	Harness  75'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,485 Referee: Nick Kinseley

Crawley Town v Colchester United

26 December 2017 (2017-12-26) 24	Crawley Town	0–2	Colchester United	Crawley
15:00 GMT		Report	Mandron  4' Szmodics  57'	Stadium: Broadfield Stadium Attendance: 2,154 Referee: Antony Coggins

Colchester United v Cheltenham Town

6 January 2018 (2018-01-06) 27	Colchester United	1–4	Cheltenham Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Guthrie  40' Reid  44'	Report	Odelusi  57' Atangana  70' Sellars  79' Eisa  83'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 2,886 Referee: Scott Oldham

Wycombe Wanderers v Colchester United

13 January 2018 (2018-01-13) 28	Wycombe Wanderers	3–1	Colchester United	High Wycombe
15:00 GMT	Akinfenwa  14' Cowan-Hall  24' O'Nien  74'	Report	Szmodics  78'	Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 4,386 Referee: John Busby

Colchester United v Grimsby Town

20 January 2018 (2018-01-20) 29	Colchester United	1–1	Grimsby Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Murray  47'	Report	Vernam  38'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,016 Referee: Craig Hicks

Port Vale v Colchester United

27 January 2018 (2018-01-27) 30	Port Vale	2–2	Colchester United	Burslem
15:00 GMT	Worrall  33', 87'	Report	Senior  12' Wright  45+4'	Stadium: Vale Park Attendance: 4,044 Referee: Trevor Kettle

Colchester United v Newport County

3 February 2018 (2018-02-03) 31	Colchester United	2–0	Newport County	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Stevenson  59' Eastman  80'	Report		Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 2,874 Referee: Gavin Ward

Carlisle United v Colchester United

10 February 2018 (2018-02-10) 32	Carlisle United	1–1	Colchester United	Carlisle
15:00 GMT	Devitt  79'	Report	Senior  44'	Stadium: Brunton Park Attendance: 4,006 Referee: Ross Joyce

Colchester United v Coventry City

13 February 2018 (2018-02-13) 33	Colchester United	2–1	Coventry City	Colchester
19:45 GMT	Ogedi-Uzokwe  27' (pen.) Mandron  88'	Report	Bayliss  56'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,319 Referee: John Busby

Crewe Alexandra v Colchester United

17 February 2018 (2018-02-17) 34	Crewe Alexandra	1–0	Colchester United	Crewe
15:00 GMT	Miller  60'	Report		Stadium: Gresty Road Attendance: 3,548 Referee: Michael Salisbury

Colchester United v Barnet

24 February 2018 (2018-02-24) 35	Colchester United	0–1	Barnet	Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report	Nicholls  66'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,121 Referee: Dean Whitestone

Mansfield Town v Colchester United

10 March 2018 (2018-03-10) 36	Mansfield Town	1–1	Colchester United	Mansfield
15:00 GMT	Hemmings  22'	Report	Comley  51'	Stadium: Field Mill Attendance: 4,050 Referee: Ross Joyce

Colchester United v Yeovil Town

17 March 2018 (2018-03-17) 37	Colchester United	0–1	Yeovil Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report	Fisher  21'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 2,772 Referee: Tom Nield

Stevenage v Colchester United

24 March 2018 (2018-03-24) 39	Stevenage	0–1	Colchester United	Stevenage
15:00 GMT		Report	Mandron  27'	Stadium: Broadhall Way Attendance: 2,709 Referee: Graham Salisbury

Colchester United v Luton Town

30 March 2018 (2018-03-30) 40	Colchester United	2–1	Luton Town	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Eastman  15' Prosser  27'	Report	Hylton  88' (pen.)	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 5,461 Referee: Trevor Kettle

Forest Green Rovers v Colchester United

2 April 2018 (2018-04-02) 41	Forest Green Rovers	1–2	Colchester United	Nailsworth
15:00 GMT	Reid  37' (pen.)	Report	Dr. Wright  1' Stevenson  47'	Stadium: The New Lawn Attendance: 2,869 Referee: Brett Huxtable

Colchester United v Accrington Stanley

7 April 2018 (2018-04-07) 42	Colchester United	0–1	Accrington Stanley	Colchester
15:00 GMT		Report	Kee  63'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,174 Referee: Kevin Johnson

Colchester United v Notts County

14 April 2018 (2018-04-14) 43	Colchester United	1–3	Notts County	Colchester
15:00 GMT	Dr. Wright  9'	Report	Forte  51' Ameobi  69' Duffy  76'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 3,599 Referee: Brendan Malone

Lincoln City v Colchester United

21 April 2018 (2018-04-21) 44	Lincoln City	2–1	Colchester United	Lincoln, England
15:00 GMT	Whitehouse  55' (pen.) Waterfall  90+4' Bostwick  83'	Report	Senior  60'	Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 9,211 Referee: Darren Handley

Exeter City v Colchester United

5 May 2018 (2018-05-05) 46	Exeter City	1–0	Colchester United	Exeter
15:00 GMT	Simpson  71'	Report		Stadium: St James Park Attendance: 4,615 Referee: Charles Breakspear

On 16 June 2017, Colchester were drawn at home to Championship side Aston Villa in the first round of the EFL Cup.[168] The match was chosen to be screened live on Sky Sports and would be played on 9 August.[169]

Colchester United v Aston Villa

9 August 2017 (2017-08-09) First round	Colchester United	1–2	Aston Villa	Colchester
19:45 BST	Kent  39'	Report	Hogan  7' Kent  19' (o.g.)	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 6,603 Referee: John Brooks

On 7 July 2017, Colchester were drawn against Gillingham and Southend United as their first two opponents in the EFL Trophy group stage.[170] Reading U23s were drawn as Colchester's final group opponents on 12 July.[171]

Colchester United v Reading U23

29 August 2017 (2017-08-29) Group stage	Colchester United	2–2 (6–5 p)	Reading U23	Colchester
19:30 BST	Szmodics  5' McKeown  87'	Report	Barrett  19' House  42'	Stadium: Colchester Community Stadium Attendance: 572
	Penalties
	Kinsella James Mandron Dr. Wright O'Sullivan Jackson		Andresson Smith Holsgrove Holmes Barrett Rollinson