Banter with Burns with Colchester United Supporters Association chairman Jon Burns

PERHAPS the hardest job John McGreal will face over the next few months, if not the whole season, is keeping his squad of players happy and buzzing.

Some late shrewd loan signings, not least Theo Robinson, have really bolstered the numbers he has at his disposal.

Without the injuries and international call-ups, a complete U’s squad looks like a force to be reckoned with and with such competition for places, some very good players could well find themselves not even in the matchday squad.

Nothing wrong with competition though. It will keep our lads on their toes and looking over their shoulders.

In some ways it feels a bit like last season’s curse with our current dearth of midfielders, although it doesn’t seem to have caused the U’s to decline as it did in the early part of this year.

We’ll miss four first-team midfield men tomorrow against Walsall, which is tough news but Noah Chilvers has already proved he can step up and the young lad from Charlton is also highly rated.

It’s going forward where there is a real fight on for a starting berth.

Robinson and Cowan-Hall got on the scoresheet at Gillingham, where Poku also played well.

That was a fine win in this much-maligned competition but putting its format and design to one side, the most important thing is that the U’s can blood some squad players so that when they are thrust into a crucial league game, they are totally switched on. Two homes games left for the U’s in the group, Ipswich and Tottenham under-21, so there is a real chance of progress.

Is it possible that we’ll get bored of watching the U’s play Spurs this season?

Wonder what the chances are of getting them in the FA Cup too? Away draw please!

McGreal says that the U’s have clicked and not before time.

They seem to have got their mojo back and winning at Oldham is no mean feat.

Let’s hope that they can keep this fine run of results going.

Despite their position and troubles, Walsall will certainly not be a pushover and I would like to see the U’s hit them hard early on and then rubber stamp their control of the game.

If we want promotion this season, then that is what promoted teams will have done to achieve it.

If you can make the game tomorrow, then thanks for your support as always.

Up the U’s!