Colchester United praised by Forest Green boss Mark Cooper

Cooper says the U’s do a great job in producing a ‘conveyor belt’ of home-grown youngsters, many of whom have been sold on for healthy transfer fees.

Speaking to the Forest Green website ahead of his side's home game against the U's this weekend, Cooper said: “You have to try and win the game that’s in front of you and we’re focused on trying to beat a really good Colchester team.

“Every year, I think they sell their best young players for a lot of money and that’s pretty similar to us.

“They sell thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds worth of players.

“They have a brilliant Academy and they can promote players from that Academy that are ready.

“It’s a conveyor belt and they get results, so it’s a very good model.

“I think that’s their remit – they have to put so many players in the team from their Academy and sell them on and they do a great job at it.

“It’s difficult when you lose a player like Sammie Szmodics – it’s similar to us with Reece Brown (who left Forest Green to join Championship side Huddersfield Town earlier this summer).

“Sometimes it’s not a question of replacing like for like – it’s trying to find a different way.”

Cooper says he is expecting a tough game against Colchester, who lie four points behind his fifth-placed Forest Green side in the League Two table.

He added: “With a couple of minutes to go last season they were in the play-offs, if it wasn’t for Newport’s late goal at Morecambe.

“John (McGreal) and Steve (Ball) have done very well there with what they’ve had at their disposal.

“They have some good experience in the team to help the young players along the way, like we have.

“They always play really good football and they’re quite expansive.

“They have really attacking wide players or wide number tens that are exciting and they’ll try and play – they will be a threat.

“It should be a good game – we’re going well and they’re on an unbeaten run.”