Cook to Make Changes as Blues Host Colchester in Papa John's Trophy Monday, 8th Nov 2021 15:50 Town host Colchester United on Tuesday night looking to confirm qualification for the next round of the Papa John’s Trophy. The Blues are currently second in the group, ahead of the U's on goal difference, behind West Ham’s U21s, who have already confirmed their passage through to the next phase having taken six points from their three games. Gillingham are bottom having played all their games with Tuesday’s match deciding the other qualifier. Blues boss Paul Cook confirmed on Saturday that the team will be a changed XI having started virtually the same side that beat Wycombe 4-1 in the FA Cup tie against Oldham on Saturday. “The team will change on Tuesday,” he confirmed. “We’ve got a lot of players that want to play and that will be reflected in that team selection. “I think the fans who pay good money to come in, I think they can be quite comfortable knowing that that’s the situation, so if they want to pay their money, that’s what will be turned out.”  Vaclav Hladky seems likely to start in goal with either Kane Vincent-Young or Janoi Donacien - presumably which ever Cook isn’t planning to start in the home league game against Oxford on Saturday - starting at right-back. Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess may start at the centre of the defence. At left-back, with Hayden Coulson having suffered a knock at Adams Park, there could be another opportunity for Myles Kenlock, the out-of-favour defender having played his only game of the season in the competition at Gillingham. In midfield, Idris El Mizouni and Rekeem Harper could start in the centre with Sone Aluko perhaps on the right and Scott Fraser, who has been back on the bench for the last couple of games following a knock, on the left. Cook could give Louie Barry a rare start in the number 10 role with Joe Pigott the likely lone out-and-out striker. The likes of Albie Armin, Zanda Siziba, Cameron Humphreys and Tete Yengi have been in previous Papa John's Trophy squads but are all in Tuesday afternoon's U23s team at QPR.
Like Town, Colchester, who were beaten 1-0 at home by Gillingham in their first Papa John's Trophy game this season and then defeated West Ham's youngsters by the same scoreline, are set to make a number of changes with former Blues keeper Dean Gerken likely to be among those coming into the team. One of the numerous former Town players with the U’s who won’t be involved is Alan Judge, who has been out with a calf problem recently. Ryan Clampin suffered a knee injury in the early stages of Colchester’s 4-0 FA Cup win at AFC Sudbury on Friday. The rules of the competition oblige League One and Two clubs to field four qualifying outfield players in their starting XI. A qualifying outfield player is someone who started the club's previous match, starts the following first-team game, someone in the top 10 players at the club in terms starting appearances in league and domestic cup competitions in the season up to this point, a player with 40 or more first-team appearances over their career or a player on loan from a Premier League or category one EFL side. If clubs transgress that rule they face a £5,000 fine. The Blues should have little trouble in meeting the requirements for Tuesday's match. Town have received £20,000 for entering the competition and £10,000 for winning at Gillingham in their last group game. They would net a further £10,000 if they defeat the U’s in 90 minutes or £5,000 if the game is drawn at that point. If that is the case, the match goes straight to penalties with the winner of the shoot-out gaining a bonus point. Historically, Town have the edge over the U's having won 10 of the games between the teams and the U’s five, while another four have ended in draws. The teams met in a pre-season friendly at the JobServe Stadium in July which ended in a 3-3 draw with Joe Pigott, Macauley Bonne and Wes Burns on target for Town. The clubs’ last competive meeting was in the EFL Trophy, then known as the Leasing.com Trophy, in November 2019. Clampin’s 50-yard strike saw Colchester to a 1-0 victory over the Blues at the JobServe Stadium which saw the U’s top the group with Town second. A dull game appeared to be going nowhere when Clampin hit his long-distance fortuitous effort to seal the three points. The teams last met at Portman Road in a second-round Carabao Cup tie in August 2008 in which goals from Pablo Couñago and Kevin Lisbie gave the Blues a 2-1 home victory. Town were on top throughout and should have been well clear before Steven Gillespie pulled back a late goal for the U’s. The U’s squad features several former Blues, including keeper Gerken left Portman Road at the end of 2019/20 after six years with Town. Ex-Town defender, Tom Eastman, is a stalwart of the Colchester backline having joined them from the Blues in May 2011, while their club captain is Tommy Smith, who also came through the Blues academy and was a Portman Road regular for the best part of a decade before departing for the Colorado Rapids in 2018. Former Blues skipper Luke Chambers and ex-vice-captain Cole Skuse were among a number of players to swap Portman Road for the Jobserve Community Stadium this summer after being released by the Blues. Forward Alan Judge and Freddie Sears joined them in making the short trip across the Suffolk-Essex border. Striker Frank Nouble was with Town between 2013 and 2015, while Blues forward Armando Dobra is on loan with the U’s for the season but is unavailable on Tuesday and is currently away with the Albanian U21s. Colchester’s goalkeeper-coach Darren Smith left the same role with the Town academy to join the U’s in the summer of 2019. Smith had previously had a stint as the Blues’ first-team keeper-coach during Paul Hurst’s brief spell in charge at Portman Road. Colchester's director of football is another ex-Town defender, Tony Humes, while Richard Hall - a Town supporter and youth player as a youngster - and Sean Thacker both work in their academy having previously coached at Playford Road. Former Blues midfielder David Gregory is Colchester's press and communications officer. Town striker Macauley Bonne was a youth player with Colchester before going on to score 15 goals in 25 starts and 59 sub appearances for their senior side. Blues full-back Kane Vincent-Young joined the Blues from the U’s in August 2019 for £500,000. Town academy keeper-coach Carl Pentney is also a former Colchester player, although without making a senior appearance, and hails from the North Essex town. Tuesday’s referee is Paul Howard from London, who has shown 39 yellow cards and three red in 13 games so far this season. Howard will be taking charge of his first senior Blues match. Squad from: Hladky, Walton, Holy, Donacien, Vincent-Young, Penney, Kenlock, Edmundson, Nsiala, Burgess, Woolfenden, Morsy, Evans, Harper, El Mizouni, Fraser, Burns, Chaplin, Edwards, Bonne, Pigott, Barry, Jackson, Norwood.
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