Swindon Town will look for a response in their first home league game against Colchester United this weekend.
Colchester has endured a tough EFL League 2 season with the side only winning seven of their first 26 games so far.
The U’s have recently sacked their manager Matty Etherington after conceding the joint most goals in the league this season.
However, a recent loss to Gillingham sees the U’s sit 22nd 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 quarterfinals 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 a 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.
Famous Encounter:
Swindon Town 1-0 Colchester United (FA Cup)
Matt Ritchie's superb strike saw Swindon dump League One side Colchester out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory in Essex.
Ritchie capped an eye-catching individual display by scoring the Robins' winner just before the hour, drilling in a fine shot from the edge of the area that flew in at the far post.
Ashley Vincent blasted over from close range early on for Colchester following Kayode Odejayi's run from inside his own half.
Swindon were a whisker away from taking the lead after 17 minutes when Aden Flint's header crashed against the underside of the crossbar and Matt Heath headed Oliver Risser's follow-up off the line.
A minute later, Ritchie looked set to score when he pounced on Risser's pass and rounded goalkeeper Ben Williams, only to fire into the side-netting.
Robins substitute Ronan Murray fired straight at Williams early in the second half following Lukas Magera's defence-splitting pass.
But Ritchie gave Swindon the lead soon afterwards and the League Two side was worth of their place in the third round.
Head-to-head:
2023/24: Colchester United 3-1 Swindon Town
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
One to watch: Arthur Read
Arthur Read joined the U’s in the January transfer window of the 2022/23 season, the midfielder signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the side.
The U’s picked up the box-to-box midfielder from Stevenage, he’s spent the last two and a half seasons with them, with the first half of his first season being on loan from Brentford.
He started his career at Luton Town, from U9s level up to the 2018/19 season, he didn’t manage to make any League appearances for the side, but he did make seven appearances for them in the seasons he was there.
His goalscoring and assisting ability from midfield has helped Colchester a lot this season and he will be looking to maintain this for the remainder of the season.
