Match Preview: Colchester United v Stockport County (Saturday, 3pm)

Relegation candidates Colchester United face a challenge against high-flying Stockport County at the JobServe Community Stadium on Saturday.

Colchester United are 21st in the League Two table, and have picked up eight wins and eight draws in their 34 games to date.

The Hatters, meanwhile, are second in the standings with 63 points, having won 18 and drawn nine, and are level on points with table-toppers Mansfield Town.

With 66 goals in 34 games so far this season, Stockport are the league’s third-highest scorers with 1.9 goals per game. And they are conceding fewer than average, letting in 37 goals at a rate of 1.1 per game.

Colchester, meanwhile, are below average scorers, with 1.3 goals per game, compared to a league average of 1.5. They have conceded 1.8 goals per game.

In Ben Hinchiffe, County can rely on one of the league’s safest pair of hands. He has kept 12 clean sheets in his 34 appearances this season, and no ‘keeper has prevented the opposition scoring more often in League Two.

In United’s net, Owen Goodman has four clean sheets in 31 games. He has conceded a goal every 65 minutes, 30% more often than the 87 minutes between goals for Hinchiffe.

The U’s are in mixed form in League Two, with one win and four draws from their last six games.

With a win and three draws over that period, the Hatters’ form is slightly worse – they have taken six points from 18, compared to the home side’s seven.

In the last three years, Colchester and Stockport have played each other on three occasions. Stockport won all of them.

Their last meeting was on November 18, when Stockport won 2-0 at home.

Colchester’s last match was on Tuesday, a 1-1 draw against Salford City, with Bradley Ihionvien getting the goal for the U’s.

Stockport drew 0-0 with Swindon Town last time out, on February 24.

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Colchester United v Stockport County
League Two | JobServe Community Stadium
Saturday, 2 March 2024 @ 3.00pm

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