Crewe Alexandra make the trip to Essex on Saturday to take on Colchester United in League Two. The match kicks off at 3pm at the JobServe Community Stadium.

The Railwaymen arrive unbeaten from their opening five league games, with two wins and three draws leaving them seventh in the early table. Colchester have collected seven points from five matches, though back-to-back defeats against Bristol Rovers and Swindon have left The U's 12th. Saturday's hosts will be looking to return to winning ways on home soil.

Opposition

Colchester finished 12th in League Two last season, collecting 66 points from their 46 games. They have retained a significant part of that squad and added experience during the summer, including new signings Sean Raggett, Paul Digby and Jake Leake. Jack Payne, Harry Anderson and Teddy Bishop have also continued into the new campaign.

The U's began this season with a 2-2 draw at Accrington before home wins over Oldham and Rochdale.

The Gaffer

Danny Cowley has been in charge at Colchester since January 2024, working alongside his brother Nicky. The pair previously enjoyed success at Concord Rangers, Braintree Town and Lincoln City, taking Lincoln from the National League into League One. Cowley also had spells managing Huddersfield Town and Portsmouth before returning to his native Essex. The Cowleys extended their Colchester contracts until June 2028 last year.

What the Managers Said

Lee Bell said: "It'll be highly competitive. They always put good teams together, good squads with vast experience as well as good younger players. It'll be a test away from home and they'll come out all guns blazing. We've got to come up with a plan of how we're going to hurt and outperform them."

Danny Cowley said: "We're super excited to be back at home in front of our people, in front of our supporters, and we know that they'll be right with us. We've all got to really fight for every inch. And if we can do that, we can keep accumulating points because that definitely is our ambition."

Head-to-Head Record

The clubs have met 67 times, with Colchester winning 30, Crewe winning 24 and 13 games ending in draws. The most recent meeting at the JobServe Community Stadium finished 1-1 in September 2025, while Crewe won the return fixture 1-0 in January 2026.

Match Officials

The referee will be Stephen Parkinson, assisted by Mehul Karia and Ashley Allen. The fourth official will be Colman O'Meara.