Town will be looking to respond well from their most recent fixtures with their rearranged game against Colchester United tonight.
Colchester has endured a tough start to their EFL League 2 season with the side only winning five of their 16 games and losing 9.
The U’s have, however, seen a recent change in fortune, enjoying their two most recent league games with wins over Accrington Stanley and Grimsby Town.
However, a recent loss to Shrewsbury Town saw Colchester knocked out of the FA Cup as they currently place 20th in the league standings.
A lowdown on the visitors:
Until 1937, Colchester Town were Colchester's main club and were the original tenants of Layer Road.
With club officials against the idea of turning professional, a new professional club was formed in March 1937, Colchester United, which would also play at Layer Road.
Following the war, in 1947–48, the U's produced one of the most notable FA Cup runs by a non-league side, defeating Banbury Spencer, Wrexham, Huddersfield Town and Bradford Park Avenue, but finally fell to Blackpool in the fifth round.
Two years later they were elected to the Football League in 1950 when the Southern section of the Third Division was expanded.
The club would replicate another notable run in FA Cup history, as manager Dick Graham took his ageing side to the 1970–71 quarter-finals, dispatching non-league Ringmer, Cambridge United, Barnet and Rochdale following a replay.
The club would get Leeds United in the next round and in the match the U's raced to an unprecedented 3–0 lead in front of a 16,000 Layer Road crowd and the game would finish 3-2.
The club faced Everton in the quarter-finals but succumbed to a 5–0 defeat in front of 53,028 at Goodison Park.
Despite their relegation in 1990 to the Conference League, the U's remained a full-time club, as they sold their Layer Road ground to the Colchester Borough Council to clear the club's debts.
The club finished the season as runners-up to Barnet during their first season outside of the Football League, but, under the stewardship of player-manager Roy McDonough, the U's won the league the following season on goal difference over bitter rivals Wycombe Wanderers.
In addition to earning a swift return to League football, the club also won the FA Trophy in 1992.
The club would eventually make climb up the league ranking to the Coca-Cola Championship in 2006/07.
During the club's second season in the Championship, Layer Road hosted its final game on 26 April 2008 as the U's fell to a 1–0 defeat to Stoke City.
The club then moved to their new ground, the Colchester Community Stadium, in the summer of 2008 in preparation for life back in the third tier.
Colchester could not keep winning their relegation battles to League Two in the 2015–16 season as they finished the campaign in 23rd position, confining them to the fourth tier of English football for the first time in 18 years.
Colchester United have stayed in the league since but have put on some incredible displays with the most notable being in the EFL Cup as they beat Tottenham Hotspurs on penalties in the 2019/20 season.
Head-to-head:
2022/23: Colchester United 1-0 Swindon Town
2022/23: Swindon Town 1-0 Colchester United
2021/22: Colchester United 1-1 Swindon Town
2021/22: Swindon Town 1-2 Colchester United
2021/22 Swindon Town 0-0 Colchester United
Manager: Matthew Etherington (Interim)
Following the sacking of previous Swindon Town manager Ben Garner, former Premier League winger Matthew Etherington will be looking to lead his side to success, having previously worked in managerial roles at Crawley Town and Peterborough United (assistant/caretaker).
Following an initial contract dispute with previous club Crawley, Etherington will now be back in the Colchester dugout this evening having been reinstated as interim head coach at the end of October.
One to watch: Cameron McGeehan
A Northern Ireland international in his own right, Cameron McGeehan is a midfielder with an eye for goal.
With spells at Norwich, Luton Town, Portsmouth and Barnsley McGeehan is no stranger to EFL football and has plenty of experience in the higher leagues.
With two goals and an assist in his past nine games, the tricky midfielder will be looking to lift his new side up the table very soon.
