Colchester United Coach Cowley Praises Team’s Defensive Progress

Danny Cowley, who took over as Colchester United’s head coach in January, attributes his team’s recent progress to what he calls “defending early.” The U’s have maintained an unbeaten streak of seven games across all competitions and have prevented opponents from scoring for a total of seven hours. The last goal conceded by Colchester was against Bradford City in a 1-1 draw on 18 November. Furthermore, they have recorded six clean sheets in League Two during the current season, surpassing the five clean sheets achieved throughout the entire 2023-24 campaign. Speaking to BBC Essex Sport, Cowley stated, “We’ve found a nice rhythm and we’ve got good confidence but we’re certainly not getting ahead of ourselves. We know what we have to do to perform well, both with the ball and against the ball and that’s very much where our focus lies.” He further elaborated, “Defensive organisation has always been the foundation to our success (at other clubs). It gives you a platform as a team and to go seven hours without conceding is a real team effort.” Cowley emphasized the collective nature of their defense, saying, “It’s never just a goalkeeper and a back four, it’s a collective effort. We’ve defended early – if you defend your half well, you don’t have to worry so much about defending your box and defending your goal.” Colchester is scheduled to host Newport County on Saturday, and Cowley anticipates that his team’s proficiency in handling crosses will be put to the test. Cowley commented, “They have a real threat from crosses – they have good combination play from their full-backs and wide players and have Kyle Hudlin, who’s six foot nine and a real handful, so being able to stop crosses and defend with aggression and intensity is going to be really important.” Currently, Colchester occupies the 18th position in the league standings, maintaining a seven-point lead over the relegation zone, and hopes for the return of striker Samson Tovide. Cowley further stated, “There’s still a long way to go to where we want to be. We’re still very much a work in progress. We’re enjoying the process of trying to get better. We come in every day and work hard, it’s a really good attitude for us all to have.” Lyle Taylor contributed both goals in Colchester’s EFL Trophy victory against his former club, AFC Wimbledon, on Tuesday, bringing his season total to seven goals. Taylor remarked, “You get the plaudits as a striker, but you’re not the one who does all the donkey work. When I did (do) the donkey work, I missed.” He continued, “All forwards just want to score goals, it doesn’t matter what competition it’s in – even if it’s in training, there’s nothing better than hitting the back of the net. Hoppes (Tom Hopper) will tell you that, Samson will tell you that.” However, he emphasized, “It’s not the Lyle Taylor show, it’s very much the Colchester United show. We are now so much more organised than we were, and it’s giving us really good turnovers at important times as well.”