Five dramatic final-day games for Colchester United

Sutton United still have a reasonable, yet ambitious, chance of eclipsing the U’s and condemning them to the National League when they travel to MK Dons.

The tension and drama of a final matchday has not alluded the U’s in its recent history - Ben McCarthy highlights five examples.

2012/13

The U’s were placed in a relegation scrap for the entirety of this campaign.

Nine loses in a row during the season’s mid-point played a huge factor in why Joe Dunne’s side travelled to Carlisle on the final matchday with League One safety still to secure.

Much like this upcoming weekend, the U’s needed just a point.

Scunthorpe United sat inside the drop zone, three points behind and with an inferior goal difference.

Three goals within three minutes at Glanford Park gave the Iron hope as they bettered Swindon Town by three goals to one.

But in Cumbria, the U’s would claim three points of their own, with Gavin Massey and Tom Eastman scoring in a pivotal 2-0 win to keep them up.

2013/14

A year later, the U’s were already realistically safe as they made the trip to Walsall on matchday 46.

They were three points above the drop, with a goal difference 17 better than that of Tranmere Rovers, who were below the line.

Rovers’ result was academic, Colchester were victorious once again on the final day, thanks to an incredibly odd Craig Eastmond goal, where he blocked a Walsall clearance which then trickled into the net.

2014/15

Though they went unbeaten in their previous three matches, the U’s went into the last day, in 2015, still two places from safety and reliant on other results.

They welcomed Preston North End to Essex, who sat inside the automatic promotion spots with 90 minutes of football to be played, with Simon Grayson’s side unbeaten in 18 games. Colchester needed fate on their side.

It seemed to allude them as Chris Porter blazed a penalty over the bar in the second half, but he would make amends, as he supplied George Moncur’s winning strike with just eight minutes of the season left.

Notts County and Crawley, the two teams directly ahead of the U’s, were ahead in their respective games.

But Crawley conceded twice in the last 20 minutes to be relegated at home to Coventry, while the Magpies unbelievably conceded a trio of goals after the 88th minute to be relegated at Gillingham.

The U’s were safe, again, but it could hardly get more dramatic than that.

2016/17

In their first season back in League Two, the U’s welcomed Yeovil Town with a play-off dream still alive.

Although they started the day three places shy of their ambitions, losses for Cambridge and Stevenage nudged John McGreal’s side ever closer.

A brace from Tarique Fosu either side of half-time won the game for Colchester, who sat inside the play-offs for a sizeable chunk of the afternoon.

But Carlisle United would twice come from behind at Exeter to condemn the Essex side to another year of League Two football.

2018/19

Danny Cowley has been involved in final day drama for Colchester United before as manager of Lincoln City.

Cowley's Imps side hosted the U’s in May 2019, having already won League Two.

Once again, the U’s kicked off their game outside the play-off spaces, but then entered them as Brennan Dickenson opened the scoring.

Sammie Szmodics then added another two, on what would turn out to be his farewell appearance for the club.

Results elsewhere were working in Colchester’s favour, until Jamille Matt scored for Newport County who grabbed a point at Morecambe in the 87th minut to knock the U’s agonisingly out of the play-offs.