v 
BLUES
From the ridiculous to the sublime. How do you work this lot out?
Our best performance of the season on Tuesday for me and suddenly losing both our top scorers doesn't seem so bad, in fact, 'Thierry' Laurent, Thurrock Blue has got a brace of old Gunners playing for us with Christophe the new Viera, could take those both over if he keeps his present form up, which begs the question, can Francis and Revell do all that again four days later, the Farmers having had a nice week off?
Harding and Sawyer back also made a huge difference so, expecting an unchanged team, here's hoping the energy levels can keep up for the team's fifth game in a fortnight.
HRK went through a lot of work against Leeds, helping out both full backs as they went forward, he may have more time here to show his creative side, with Betsy I hope helping him out on the other wing consistently over the 90 minutes. Robson-Kanu was back covering Francis more than Harding.
Blues boss Steve Tilson is trying to treat Saturday as just another game with the three points at stake the most important thing. However he did come out with a Tilly classic: "It makes no difference to me, but obviously it's the one the crowd want to win, and it's the one I want to win." Er, yea Tilly.
Speaking to www.southendunited.co.uk Tilly went on: "I played in a few of these matches myself and there is a lot of passion around the place on these occasions. It will be physical and frantic, especially early on but it will settle down because both sides like to play football, though Colchester do have Clive Platt up top so they can be more direct if they want to be. Local derbies are always the same and we have to make sure we keep 11 men on the pitch!
We can see Tilly appearing in charge of a training session on Sky Sports at 17.30 Friday evening, repeated at 4 and 6.30 Saturday morning.
No doubt Col. U. will be up for it, and Lambert has made a difference, but Gillespie out is a help and in midfield I believe we hold the aces. Let's make it August Bank Holiday 2005 all over again, but a touch colder, 3-1, Laurent can play the Goat.
Meanwhile, Shrimpers are being urged to turn Roots Hall blue for Saturday's derby with another bumper crowd expected as more than 8,000 tickets having already been sold.
And the Blue Voice want their fellow fans to join in with the fun: "We are urging all Blues fans to bring a flag, balloons, streamers and confetti," said a spokesman for the group. "We want them to wear blue and most importantly bring their voices for Saturday's game. The Blue Voice is also putting on a big visual display over in the West Stand. We want everyone seriously pumped up for this one and help roar the lads to victory over our local rivals."
OPPOSITION
Head Farmer Paul Lambert is confident, which I suppose you would be after a 5-0 win, though it took them long enough at the new ground, telling BBC Essex: "We're within our capability to win on Saturday. We're going to be ready for this. I try and view it as another game, (they all are), in the back of your mind you know it's not. It's got a little bit of spice to it, there's no doubt about that." It has that all right and they still need a result, just three points out of the bottom four.
| 16 | Swindon Town | 13 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 23 | 15 | -4 | ||||
| 17 | Colchester United | 13 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 22 | 24 | 14 | -2 | ||||
| 18 | Carlisle United | 14 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 27 | 14 | -7 | ||||
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | 14 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 26 | 14 | -7 |
The U's will be without record signing Steven Gillespie (hamstring), but defender Paul Reid could be available. Lambert has hinted at dipping into the loan market in the near future as he only has three first-team strikers to choose from while Gillespie is sidelined. In Gillespie's absence, Akanni Sunday-Wasiu and Scott Vernon will be vying for a starting place alongside Clive Platt up front.
Perkins is the player to watch but Izzet can be a pain and interesting Yates getting a couple last week, he's got a decent left foot.
The Col. U team that finished the win against sinking Carlisle: Gerken, White, Baldwin, Coyne, Jackson, Yeates (Wordsworth 83), Izzet, Hammond, Perkins, Gillespie (Wasiu 16), Platt (Vernon 80). Subs Not Used: Cousins, Heath.
Goals: Perkins 3, Yeates 14, 31, Hammond 89, Wasiu 90.
However, it's their keeper, Dean.....Gerkin, (playing for the right team Deano), who has set himself for a fall with his 'desperate to win derby' interview with the 'farmers' Gazette, saying beating Southend United is at the top of his wanted list. It seems he was born in Rochford.
"It's a massive game. We desperately want to win it and getting one over another Essex team is top of your list especially when they are doing well, as Southend are. There's always more of a buzz around a ground when you play in a derby and it's always louder. When we played Ipswich a few weeks ago, the atmosphere was absolutely electric and it will be again tomorrow. Over the last five or six seasons since I've been a professional we've always had big games against Southend. We've played them in the Championship, League One and the LDV (Vans Trophy) and the teams have never really got on. We're hoping to come out of it with a win."
We're hoping you don't.
PREVIOUSLY
Played 71: Won 29 Drawn 16 Lost 26.
Played 71: Won 29 Drawn 16 Lost 26.
A competitive mix of results. It started on Oct. 14 1950 with a 4-2 win; Davies and Wakefield with a brace each.
A classic nearly 44 years ago on Nov. 7 64 when Gilfillan grabbed four along with a McKinven double in a 6-3 victory.
The 70's were rubbish, the best, a Brace brace in a 2-0 win on Boxing Day 75.
The next decade was not much better, some disastrous results, 1985 bring a particular dire year, (see below, can't write about it here)! In fact, the only win was Aug. 29 1989, a League Cup first round second leg 2-1 result, Crown penalty and Bennett, seeing us into the next round after also winning 4-3 at Layer Road.
The 90's didn't see a game at Roots Hall but the naughties saw the Blues reach their first ever national cup final thanks to a Drewie equaliser on Feb. 17 04 following on from the 3-2 win in the first leg.
The Goat was fed along with Cole on Bank Holiday Monday Aug. 29 05 ending up with a marvellous 3-1 result, read about it here: www.thelittlegazette.com/news/loadsngl.asp?cid=EDY3&id=414729
The last occasion at the Hall was not so happy as the Shrimpers suffered a 0-3 loss on Fri. Oct. 6 and saying farewell to the Championship after only one season back was only a month away.
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Missing: 1982/83 Fri. 13 Aug. Colchester United 3-1 Southend United FLTP/1)
REF
The man in the middle is Mick Russell, from St Albans, who pulled out at the last moment against Stockport and inflicted Mr. Kettle on us!
If he starts this time it will be his 5th Southend match and his third at Roots Hall. His first home Southend match was also Freddie Eastwood's first match against Swansea, so get to your seats early. Then again I said that last time!
FIXTURES
Saturday, 1 November 2008; (all 15.00): Brighton v Millwall, Cheltenham v Leeds, Huddersfield v Crewe, Leicester v Bristol Rovers, Leyton Orient v Hartlepool, MK Dons v Tranmere, Oldham v Yeovil, Peterborough v Hereford, Scunthorpe v Swindon, Stockport v Carlisle, Walsall v Northampton.
BET
Southend (11/10) Draw (12/5) Colchester (11/4)
Bet of the Day: Bristol Rovers 4/1 to beat Leicester away.
Blues best; 9/2, promotion: Farmers best; 7/1, relegation.
For a full update on all the footy odds go to www.oddschecker.com/football/english/league-one.
HISTORY
Colchester Town, nicknamed 'The Oystermen', were the original local side, established in 1867 and playing at Layer Road from 1909 until 1937, when they were dissolved. The stadium was originally owned by the army, who still have a strong presence in the town, until it was purchased by the club in 1919. Shortly before Town folded, Colchester United was set up. The owners had intended to run both teams, one professional and one amateur, under the same umbrella but the Essex County FA ruled that both teams could not be run under one set of rules, and so Town were wound down.
In the 1947/48 season Colchester, then in the Southern League, produced one of the most notable F.A. Cup runs by a non-league side, beating fellow-non-league side Banbury Spencer in the First Round before beating league clubs Wrexham, Huddersfield and Bradford Park Avenue. They finally fell to Blackpool in the fifth round.
United went from strength to strength, and they were promoted to the Football League in 1950.
The Farmers are perhaps most famous for beating Don Revie's Leeds United 3-2 in the 5th round of the FA Cup in 1971.
They lost their league status for two seasons from relegation in 1990 until 1992, when they won a non-league double by collecting the Conference title and the Football Trophy.
In 1996-97 season Colchester were runners up in the Football League Trophy and in more recent times they won promotions from League One (in 2005-06) claiming second place to the Championship.
2006-07 was Colchester's first season in the second tier of English football, and after a slow start they soon entered the higher reaches of the division and there was even ambitious talk of a challenge for promotion to the Premier League. In the end, they finished 10th in the final table above some much more fancied sides including Leeds United, Norwich City and Crystal Palace despite having the division's lowest attendance.
2007-08, however, was less successful, as Colchester finished bottom of the Championship with 38 points and were relegated back to League One.
Colchester United now play in the new Weston Homes Community Stadium, following the last game at Layer Road at the end of last season but it took them until the last Saturday in October to record their first win there.
After some big money signings to replace players they lost over the close season they started poorly and manager Geraint Williams paid the price on September 22 2008 when he left the club by 'mutual consent'.
Paul Lambert was appointed head Farmer after resigning as manager of Wycombe in May this year after the club were knocked-out of the League Two play-offs.
Lambert, who has also managed Livingston in Scotland and won a Champions League winners' medal with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 had a mixed start with 2 wins and 1 defeat but seeing as one of those wins was 5-0 last weekend they will enter the Essex derby with more confidence that you might have thought a month ago.
(Thanks to the usual suspects for their help with this article.)