View From The Town End: Colchester (A)

After a bit of a purple patch under Phil Parkinson a decade ago, Colchester seem to have settled back into life in the third tier. Are the club still looking up or is the focus trying to avoid the trapdoor?

The glory years under Parky and Geraint Williams are well and truely behind us. The club has a different outlook now, focussing on the youth players and bringing them through to the first team. The future looks bright with some talented youngsters pushing on, but a solid mid-table finish will do just fine this season!

How seriously have the club taken this competition in recent seasons? Should we expect a much changed lineup or will Tony Humes be going all guns blazing to cause a cup upset?

We tend to field good teams in the League Cup but we haven't made it past round one since 2010. Hopefully our cup form will improve and bring back League Cup nights such as our 2-1 win over West Brom in 2004.

Any fond memories of games between Colchester and Reading?

No! This will be the first Colchester v Reading game I'll see. However I have great memories of a few former Reading favourites. Phil Parkinson lead us to the Championship in 2006, and Jamie Cureton won the golden boot in 2007. More recently Michail Antonio had a successful (albeit short) loan spell from the Madejski!

Any not so fond ones?

Losing Greg Halford to Reading was disappointing for plenty of U's fans at the time. Though I'm not sure how much he was appreciated by your supporters!

Which Colchester player should Reading fans look out for?

Drey Wright is an exciting winger from the youth team. He has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons, but if he stays fit he has the potential to be a standout League 1 player.

Any Reading player you're not looking forward to facing?

Our defence looked shaky against Blackpool. Nick Blackman started his season with a goal so I fear he could give us a hard time.

Score prediction?

2-1 to Colchester after extra-time.

Finally, any tips for Reading fans making the trip?

The Bricklayers is well worth a visit for a pre-match pint. It's next to the train station and the shuttle buses to the stadium leave from outside the pub so it makes for an ideal starting point.

Thanks again to Sam, who you can follow on Twitter - @SamPaulMorgan While we'll have plenty more build up and analysis over the next few days here on The Tilehurst End.