Cambridge United head coach Neil Harris is under no illusions as to the threats posed by this evening’s opponents, Colchester United.
While hosts Cambridge have been firmly in the League Two promotion picture for some time now, the visitors have so far been unable to establish themselves inside the top seven.
Indeed, they will arrive at the Cledara Abbey Stadium sitting in 12th position, five points adrift of the play-off places.
Cambridge United head coach Neil Harris. Picture: Ben Phillips
However, Harris is well aware of how tough it will be to get the better of Danny Cowley’s side for a second time this season.
“They’re a very well-coached side. They’ve got two very good coaches in charge of their football club,” said Harris, who is hopeful of having midfielder Dom Ball available for selection.
“I like watching them play because they’ve got structure. When a team has got structure, you can prepare accordingly for it, and Colchester are a very well set, well drilled and well organised team.
“They can handle the ball well and they pride themselves on trying to have more of the ball than the opponent, so you have to be patient at times against them.
“They’re a side that keeps flirting with the top seven, but then they pick up an injury or two and then fade away by a couple of points.
“We’ll have to be well drilled and well organised ourselves. The players are prepared for the game already and we’re in a really good spot in that sense. The mentality of the players to learn again has been excellent.
“We’ll have to be on top of our game tomorrow night because if we’re not – we’ve seen at Harrogate – anybody can beat anybody in the league.
“And when you come up against good players and a well-coached side, they become a real threat. We’ve got to be organised but individually we’ve also got to be the best we can be because they’ve got some excellent players at the top end of the pitch that create chances.
“They’re a high-scoring team so we have to make sure that our defensive stability is there, but then we carry a threat and we’ve got a lot of attacking players in good form.”
Cambridge go into the contest in second place, four points adrift of table-topping Bromley.
