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Colchester United - I think many were surprised to see them reach the Championship but having got here in 2006 and having lost their first four league games I don't think anyone gave them much hope of staying.
They did, and not only that they almost made the play offs, and they owed much to the goals from Jamie Cureton and Chris Iwelumo. Both of them have gone now, as have Gregg Halford, Wayne Brown and Richard Garcia with all but Halford moving to other clubs in the Championship.
So needless to say with all those players gone they were expected to struggle this time round. But with news of a new stadium being built, manager Geraint Williams set about building a new squad in readiness for the new season.
No fewer than eight new players have arrived at Layer Road, some experienced and some not so experienced. From youngster Matthew Connolly, on loan from Arsenal, to the oldest player in the Football League Teddy Sheringham, Williams has put a squad together that he thinks can go one further than last season. The new signings are as follows:
Mark Yeates from Spurs
Teddy Sheringham from West Ham
Luke Guttridge from Leyton Orient
Danny Granville from Crystal Palace
Kevin Lisbie from Charlton
Matthew Connolly from Arsenal (loan)
Adam Virgo from Celtic (loan)
They've started the new season well enough, although they did go out of the Carling Cup in the first round. They are unbeaten in the league and got their first win of the season last week when they beat Preston 3-0 at Deepdale.
Burnley will be looking to get off the mark away from home having lost at Scunthorpe two weeks ago. It is a ground where we've had good results in the past and it would be good to mark our last visit with a victory.
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Karl Duguid is considered by many to be Mr. Colchester. The 29-year-old joined the Us as an apprentice and won himself his first professional contract with them in the summer of 1996. He is by some distance the club's longest serving player and is now approaching 400 games for the club.
Where does he play? Duguid has played in both full back positions for Colchester, he's played on the right and left hand sides of midfield and has even filled in up front for them.
He was still an apprentice when he made the breakthrough into the first team, coming on as a substitute in a Division Three game at Hereford in December 1995 and that was the start of this long career with the one club.
Now captain he has become something of a legend with the Colchester fans and that legendary status was confirmed last season when he scored the only goal of the game as they beat Ipswich 1-0 at Layer Road.
Duguid's career looked in jeopardy a couple of years ago following a cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out for the entire 2004/05 season, but he was back the following season and has been a regular since. He will lead them out against us later today.
Colchester won last week at Preston with a weakened squad, but there's good news this week for Geraint Williams with most of the missing players returning.
Goalkeeper Dean Gerken was serving a one match ban following a red card and he's almost certain to return at the expense of Aiden Davison. To add to that both Kevin McLeod and Jamie Guy are fit to return from injuries.
McLeod was ruled out last week with a groin injury whilst Guy has had a thigh strain, but both are back in full training and are expected to play. The only two players out of contention this weekend are Bela Balogh and Kevin Watson who have hamstring and ankle problems respectively.
Colchester should line up: Dean Gerken, Karl Duguid, Pat Baldwin, Matthew Connolly, George Elokobi, Mark Yeates, Kem Izzet, Johnnie Jackson, Kevin McLeod, Teddy Sheringham, Kevin Lisbie. Subs from: Aiden Davison, John White, Danny Granville, Luke Guttridge, Anthony Wordsworth, Adam Virgo, Jamie Guy, Clive Platt.
Last week Graham Alexander made his 400th appearance for Preston against Colchester, and this week he could well be making his Burnley debut against them.
Alexander signed on Thursday, and he should go straight into the side although Steve Cotterill has hinted that it could be in midfield rather than at right back. That will depend on the fitness of Michael Duff who was out of the Carling Cup tie with an abductor strain.
If Duff misses out, and he remains a doubt, then Alexander will play at right back. Jon Harley could return after illness but he's likely to be on the bench after a bad few days. Gabor Kiraly is unlikely to be fit to return, Kyle is out suspended and Besart Berisha is out for the next few weeks.
We could line up: Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan, Wade Elliott, Joey Gudjonsson, Chris McCann, Steve Jones, Robbie Blake, Andy Gray. Subs from: David Unsworth, Jon Harley, John Spicer, James O'Connor, Alan Mahon, Ade Akinbiyi.
Burnley and Colchester had been in different divisions for the previous six seasons. Our last appearance at Layer Road had been the one away game Ian Wright started in Burnley colours. The circumstances of this visit couldn't have been more different.
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We were in a terrible run of form and having lost to Leicester in bizarre fashion on the previous Tuesday we were desperate for some sort of result against one of the strongest home sides in the league.
I'm told precious little happened, although we could and probably should have had a couple of penalties. The television highlights showed a shot from Kyle Lafferty that barely reached the goalkeeper, that summing up the afternoon's entertainment.
We got a point from a 0-0 draw and that was a good point given that Cureton and Iwelumo were in the opposition line up, but it didn't come without a cost. Wayne Thomas and Chris McCann started the game at full back, both of them had a short afternoon as they were both stretchered off. Typical of Thomas's luck at Burnley, he faced yet more surgery and was ruled out of the next three games.
I'm sure those there today will be hoping for a more entertaining afternoon than the one provided last February.
The teams that day were;
Colchester: Dean Gerken, Matthew Mills, Wayne Brown, Chris Barker, Kevin Watson, Karl Duguid, Kevin McLeod (Hogan Ephraim 60), Kem Izet, Richard Garcia, Chris Iwelumo (Jamie Guy 73), Jamie Cureton. Subs not used: Aiden Davison, Pat Baldwin, Johnnie Jackson.
Burnley: Danny Coyne, Wayne Thomas (Michael Duff 36), John McGreal, Steven Caldwell, Chris McCann (Jon Harley 78), Wade Elliott (Graham Branch 73), Joey Gudjonsson, James O'Connor, Kyle Lafferty, Andy Gray, Ade Akinbiyi. Subs not used: Garreth O'Connor, Eric Djemba-Djemba.
Previous 20 Seasons | |||||
Season | Div | Ven | Result | Att | Scorers |
1986/87 | 4 | h | 2-1 | 1,696 | Grewcock Hoskin |
| . | . | a | 0-1 | 2,635 | . |
1987/88 | 4 | h | 0-3 | 5,419 | . |
| . | . | a | 1-0 | 2,520 | Reeves |
1988/89 | 4 | h | 2-0 | 7,177 | O'Connell Rowell |
| . | . | a | 2-2 | 3,831 | White(2 1pen) |
1989/90 | 4 | h | 0-0 | 6,145 | . |
| . | . | a | 2-1 | 2,788 | White(pen) Taylor(og) |
1998/99 | 2 | a | 4-0 | 5,532 | Payton(2) Vindheim Cooke |
| .99 | . | h | 3-1 | 10,747 | Johnrose Payton(2) |
1999/2000 | 2 | h | 3-0 | 10,090 | Payton(3 1pen) |
| . | . | a | 2-1 | 6,194 | Davis(2) |
2006/07 | C | h | 1-2 | 10,039 | Gray |
| . | . | a | 0-0 | 4,934 | . |