Football Season Review

It was a heartbreaking end to the season for Colchester United, who missed out on a play-off place with just three minutes of the season remaining. The U’s were at their best as they destroyed Champions Lincoln City on their own patch but Newport County’s late equaliser at Morecambe meant they missed out by just a single point. They only have themselves to blame however with inconsistent performances and results seeing them drop out of the top seven with a couple of months of the season to go. They were widely regarded as one of the best teams in the division, most notably with their attacking talent, but lost too many matches. Winger Courtney Senior enjoyed a breakthrough season having recovered from a serious injury whilst striker Frank Nouble possessed both pace and power. He failed to get into double figures however, as did strike-partner Luke Norris, whose season was beset by niggling injuries. Midfield playmaker Sammy Szmodics finished as leading scorer with 14 goals but even he struggled with the levels of consistency which saw him lined with a £1m move to Premier League AFC Bournemouth last season. Head coach John McGreal will take some of the blame for not getting the best of his talented squad but is likely to be given another opportunity to achieve promotion next season. He will need to settle on a first-choice goalkeeper and hold on to the likes of centre-back Frankie Kent, who was voted player-of-the-season.

Player of the Season: Frankie Kent