After beating Gillingham at Holker Street on Tuesday night to earn their first victory since they played MK Dons. Pete Wild’s Bluebirds aim to make it back-to-back wins for the first time since 22nd December 2022, as they face Colchester United today.
During their last run out, the Bluebirds tasted victory for the first time since the 3rd of February, as the Cumbrian side ran out 2-0 winners against the Gills.
After a game in which Barrow dominated the majority of and had multiple chances to score, the back five defended astutely as always, with the away side creating very few chances. Wild’s men continued to perform well, and goals from James Chester and Emile Acquah, saw the home side take home all three points.
The game also saw Acquah getting himself on the scoresheet on Tuesday, with his goal taking his league tally to six in total. We also saw defensive stalwart George Ray make an assist for the first goal on what was his 300th EFL appearance.
Team News
Junior Tiensia is now back in full training and is back in the mix for selection.
Jamie Proctor will serve the final game of his suspension today.
The Opposition
Colchester United currently sit 22nd on 32 points in the Sky Bet League Two under the guidance of former Lincoln City boss Danny Cowley.
The Cowley brothers recently joined the Essex side in January 2024, and have undertaken management of eight games since their appointment. In those games, they have picked up nine points; having drawn six times and won once. Their last victory came away in Lancashire against Morecambe, in a game which they won 1-0 thanks to a goal from Arthur Read.
Since he joined, Cowley has been averaging 1.1pts per game at the club, compared to previous manager Matthew Etherington who averaged 0.9 points per game. The Essex fans have seen significant improvement since the change, another example being in Etherington’s final 11 games he picked up three points, compared to Cowley’s nine points in the first eight games.
A player the Bluebirds should look out for is attacking midfielder Cameron McGeehan, a player who they only just signed in the summer and a player who brings vast experience to the team, having played the majority of his career in League One and the Championship. Having played for a wide range of clubs, including Barnsley, Scunthorpe, and Portsmouth, he still has experience in the lower leagues where he made a name for himself, playing for Cambridge United and now Premier League side, Luton Town. Since making the switch from Belgian side Oostende to Colchester, McGeehan has featured 25 times in league this season, being rewarded with six goals and three assists.
Head-to-Head
Barrow last faced Colchester at Hoker Street in November 2022, when Barrow was pushing for a playoff place whilst Colchester finished above the relegation zone. During that match, both sides were creating chances, but the Bluebirds were the most dominant, with the game ending in a 3-1 victory to Barrow. Thanks to striker Billy Waters scoring a hattrick in 46 minutes.
In total, both sides have faced each other seven times, all of which have come since Barrow’s return to the EFL. In those fixtures, Barrow has won three times, Colchester winning once and the other three have ended in draws.
The two sides have already faced each other this season in November 2023, when the game ended 4-1 for Wild’s men, thanks to own goals from Zach Mitchell and Will Greenidge and a brace from Ray in the last four minutes of the game.
Referee
The man taking charge of tomorrow’s encounter is Scott Jackson. Jackson has taken charge of 23 fixtures in this current season, with 21 of these coming in EFL competitions. He has handed out 92 yellow cards this season, whilst awarding 11 penalties.
The last fixture he took charge of featuring the Bluebirds, came in September 2023 when we faced Harrogate Town away from home. A game in which we picked up all three points and a clean sheet, thanks to a goal from Kian Spence and a Man of the Match performance from Paul Farman.
Tomorrow he will be joined by assistant referees Conor Brown and Alex Gray, and John Mulligan as the Fourth Official.
Words by Dylan Whitbread
