Let’s set the scene, January 1st, 2024, Matthew Etherington who had only took the reins of Colchester United in November, suffered his eighth defeat in nine as permanent boss at home to Gillingham, courtesy of an early second half strike from Scott Malone.
This was becoming an all but familiar story in Essex, as a side who were fighting for promotion the premier league under two decades ago, were now entering their 4th consecutive relegation battle in the basement. Etherington’s time, as a result, was up. As they dismissed the former Crawley town manager, and once again, an alarming concern was looming over The U’s. Was this finally time for Colchester to drop out of the football league? You’d certainly put your money on it, as this was a side that hadn’t finished in the top half of this division since the 19/20 season which was ended prematurely due to the pandemic. They entered the playoffs in this season and crashed out after a sickening extra-time loss at the hands of Exeter in the semi-final, subsequently parting company with the manager at the time, John McGreal, after an 11-year involvement at the club.
The Next Steps
A sea of gloom had cascaded over the Colchester Community Stadium, they were once again staring relegation in the face, about to appoint their 3rd manager of the season after Ben Garner was sent packing in mid-October. Colchester sat just above the drop zone at the time of the sacking, picking up just 23 points from 26 fixtures in Sky Bet League Two. Where would the board turn?
Arise, the Cowley Brothers. The infamous duo that had achieved 3 promotions in 4 seasons at Concord Rangers, before a season at Braintree lead them to Lincoln City. Imps fans could never have forecasted the tactical nous that would follow from the duo, who were still teaching PE as teachers at the time of appointment. It was a mythical first season in charge for the southerners in Lincolnshire, as they oversaw a promotion back to the football league, winning the title with 2 games in hand. Of course, in that same season they became the first non-league side in over 100 years to reach the quarterfinals on the FA Cup, knocking out 2 Championship sides and then premier league Burnley as they were drawn to arsenal in the last 8, before being soundly beaten 5-0.
In their first season back in the football league, they reached the League Two play-offs, and also reached the EFL Trophy final, the clubs first ever game at Wembley. However, they failed to achieve success in both, losing the play-off semi-final to Exeter and suffering a 1-0 loss in the EFL Trophy to Shrewsbury. 2019 would prove to be again another master stroke under the Cowley’s, as they stormed League one, and won the title towards the back end of April. Less glamorously, the pair then moved up north to Huddersfield, saving them from relegation but being dismissed just 48 hours later by chairman Phil Hodgkinson.
A return down south followed, but again it was short lived, lasting just 9 months as joint managers at Pompey. They sat 12th at the time of dismissal, failing to record a league victory in 2 months and the side sat smack bang in the middle of League One.
366 days later, a year and 2 days after their departure from Portsmouth, they landed at Colchester. The pair rejected an offer from Bradford city in December, but decided on sticking down south, Joining the seemingly sinking ship in Essex. But on paper, it was a fantastic appointment from Colchester, they’d managed much higher than Colchester previously and had tremendous success in this division prior. Sure, they were inheriting a clearly incapable squad at this level, a side that without a doubt couldn’t replicate Lincolns success on the pitch in this league, but it was an exciting proposition for the Cowley brothers, and clearly one that they took an interest to.
Steadying the sinking ship
Life at Colchester got off to a mood lifting start, after a last gasp equaliser from academy graduate Bradley Ihionven sent Colchesterback home with a point.
To start of their tenure, they attempted a host of different formations, a 3-4-2-1 at Swindon and Bradford in the first two, before switching to a 3-4-3 away at Morecambe which resulted in a 1-0 win for the U’s. The Cowley’s truly didn’t typically have a style of play or formation, but most likely adjusted accordingly to an opponent’s setup, likely creating a sense of uncertainty for the opposition in preparation. They utilised another academy graduate Noah Chilvers in a variety of areas, including a flat midfielder, a right and left winger and his traditional ten.
The classic ‘new manager bounce’ had truly come into play, as Colchester were defeated just twice in the next 13 fixtures in the league, before back-to-back defeats at Wrexham and Stockport respectively. Colchester lost just 5 from January 4th onwards under their new management and survived in 22nd by a margin of just 3 points, with a summer rebuild necessary and imminent. It was time for the Cowley’s to get their hands dirty; this was a warning sign; they were in freefall.
New Look Cowley’s Colchester
A 9th consecutive campaign in the fourth tier awaited Colchester, and a chance to replenish its calibre ahead of an important season for the football club. Speaking to BBC Essex Sport, Cowley Said, “We’re not going to shout from the rooftops what we want to achieve, I don’t think that is necessary. But we are determined, we are really focussed.”
However, a key takeaway from the presser was the line “This is a new beginning, a new Colchester United.” But it wasn’t anything to be discredited in terms of summer recruitment. Thirteen summer arrivals were announced in the off-season, including the likes of former Huddersfield town and Charlton attacker Jack Payne, Striker Lyle Taylor from now champions league hunting Nottingham Forest, and Northern Ireland defender Tom Flanagan from Shrewsbury, who would go on to be named club captain ahead of the new season.
Was the tide finally turning at Colchester? Had the Cowley’s relayed the foundations? In short, not in the slightest. The never-ending nightmare was back, as the ghost of relegation continued to haunt them. After 15 games they sat on just 14 points, 2 off the relegation zone and were once again back in the dogfight that Cowley was adamant wouldn’t occur again.They were going into December looking quaky once again, and the luck simply wasn’t falling for Colchester. They were languishing in the football league’s lowest level, and they needed a miracle to revive the ambitions Cowley had set out.
The Cowley’s mid-season revelation
A respectable point thanks to a Tom Hopper equaliser at Bradford shifted the mood merely at Colchester, they were still far away from where they wanted to be. However, little did they know this would be the start of an incredible Colchester run, which would reignite the hopes of a playoff push, something which wasn’t on the tip of a Colchester fans tongue since half a decade ago. Colchester would go on a staggering run of 2 defeats in 21 in all competitions from winter to spring, Jack Payneand Lyle Taylor combining brilliantly to accumulate 25 Goals and Assists combined at the time of writing. Some of these results include a 4-0 victory over Swindon, all goals coming in the first 36 minutes of play, a 2-1 win over league leaders Walsall, and most recently a 1-0 win over chesterfield which leaves Colchester an impressive 6 points off the bottom of the playoff ladder, a contest which is heating up from a variety of positions in League Two this season.
The Cowley Effect and Conclusion
After speaking to Colchester fans on social media, Danny Cowley has done far more than make amends to the performance on the pitch, but has completely shifted the mood and passion across the entirety of the football club, a seemingly impossible task that Cowley is quickly achieving and becoming a cult hero as a result
@WillTaylorr0 on X – “The mood and atmosphere around the club has completely transformed”
Alan, @ColchesterAllan, on X, a supporter for over 55 years said, “The last 4 years have been the worst, they have put the ‘good factor’ back into the club and the fans are happy”
Concluding fans’ thoughts, @davioburchio, stated, “He has reinvigorated the environment at the club, He’s made everyone feel united at (Colchester) united. It’s the closest fans have felt to the club in years, he just gets what it’s like to be a fan and understands the passion and disappointment it brings”
To conclude, the Cowley’s transformation is something we saw at Lincoln, but the turn of character and performance from this Colchester side has simply been pulled out of nowhere. His managerial tenacity, hunger to win, tactical obscurity, yet genius, his consistent football and connection to the fans has completely revived these continuous relegation candidates. Maybe, just maybe, another miracle is on the cusp, thanks to a Cowley masterclass.
