Former Imps’ boss Danny Cowley has criticised the festive fixture schedule, despite his Colchester side extending their unbeaten run to four League Two matches.
I have spoken on the podcast about there being too much football over Christmas, with one fixture too many being played. With hard pitches and few cup games after the turn of the year, it would make sense to have an evening fixture on a warm spring night rather than playing every couple of days when it is cold.
DC agrees. The U’s claimed a New Year’s Day victory over Milton Keynes Dons, with Jack Payne converting an added-time penalty in what was their third game in seven days. They are back in action again on Sunday.
Speaking to BBC Essex, Cowley said the congestion was taking a physical toll on players.
“It’s a crazy schedule, a lot of tired bodies, it’s pretty dangerous for the players. Their centre half comes off with a hamstring injury and we had Teddy Bishop with a calf.”
Ted with an injury probably isn’t the most surprising news, but in fairness, DC has a point. We’ve lost Tom Bayliss this Christmas to injury, while we’ve had to rotate the likes of Reeco Hackett and Jack Moylan.
DC questioned how such a demanding run of fixtures aligns with the sport’s stated commitment to player welfare.
“We do have to look at this. We put all these safeguarding policies in place for the safety of the players and then we play a ridiculous schedule in such a short space of time.”
He also pointed to the imbalance earlier in the campaign, where Colchester faced long gaps between matches before the festive congestion arrived.
“In the first half of the season, we had a lot of Saturday to Saturdays, not many Tuesday nights. It’s one for the powers above, but all we know is we have to keep turning up and keep trying to perform at our best.”
The crazy scheduling also means that City have to face Peterborough on Sunday, the fourth game in ten days, but then have a run of 13 days without a fixture. Posh will play on the FA Cup third round weekend, facing Bolton, also out of the Cup, while our scheduled league opponents, Exeter City, will face Manchester City.