Colchester United are hoping to reach FA Cup third round

For every Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur, read Marine and Bedlington Terriers.

So isn't it refreshing to see the U's still going strong in two knockout tournaments, as we reach the end of the calendar year.

OK, so it's still early days in the cup competitions.

Nevertheless, it's been some time since Colchester have made it through to this stage of either the FA Cup or the EFL Trophy.

Let's face it, the EFL Trophy is a competition in which the U's have fared pretty miserably over the years.

Of course these days, the Papa John's Trophy - as it is now known - is much maligned, detested by many fans primarily for its inclusion of Premier League clubs' under-21 teams.

But the U's 2-1 triumph at League Two rivals Swindon Town in midweek was notable for many reasons, not least the fact that it prolongs their interest in the tournament into the New Year.

There's a Wembley final to play for and the cash Colchester have generated from the Papa John's Trophy is not to be sniffed at either, especially with the substantial repercussions of Covid's impact and the empty stadiums that followed still reverberating around the EFL and its members.

The £55,000 the U's have made so far from their progress in the Trophy all helps, with potentially more to follow should Hayden Mullins' side progress, with the draw for the Southern Area quarter-finals taking place on Saturday afternoon.

The FA Cup has already proved pretty lucrative for Colchester this season, too.

The U's benefited from their first-round tie at neighbours AFC Sudbury being chosen for live coverage on BBC Television.

And with their home clash with League One promotion hopefuls Wigan Athletic chosen to be part of the BBC's highlight package on Sunday and prize money already in six figures so far, the cups have so far been pretty lucrative for Colchester when in previous years, that has not been the case.

Of course, Colchester did enjoy a magnificent run to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in 2019, under John McGreal.

That run will live long in the memory of U's fans, with the unforgettable wins over Premier League duo Crystal Palace and in particular, Tottenham Hotspur nights to savour, along with the trip to play Manchester United under the lights oat Old Trafford in front of nearly 60,000.

But the reality was that the cash made from that run was not in the same region as that they can make from other knockout competitions.

Of course, having the date and time of your cup-tie changed for television purposes does have its downsides.

The fact that the U's game against the Latics has been shifted from its traditional Saturday 3pm kick-off slot to a Sunday lunchtime is for some fans irritating and for others, downright inconvenient, not least those Wigan fans who will have to make the near 500-mile round trip from Greater Manchester to support their team.

Nevertheless, it represents an intriguing tie for Colchester who are bidding to reach the FA Cup third round for the first time since the 2015-16 season, especially now that Mullins' side have hit a bit of form.

“It’s a great test for us and a good game for us to pit ourselves against a really good side," said the U's boss.

Colchester's main aim this season will be to push themselves towards the top-seven in League Two and challenge for at least a play-off place.

And while there has been plenty of evidence over the years of cup runs being harmful to the league form of upwardly mobile teams, it can also have the opposite effect.

In the memorable 2005-06 season, under Phil Parkinson, the U's exploits in cup competitions seemingly had no detrimental influence on their league form.

Indeed, if anything, their exploits away from League One provided a positive diversion from their promotion push.

After they were beaten 3-1 by Jose Mourinho's Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round in front of nearly 42,000 at Stamford Bridge, the U's lost three straight league games, perhaps suggesting that the confidence that a good cup run can bring can enhance - rather than hinder - a good team's league form.

In that same season, Colchester also went far in the Football League Trophy, eventually losing to Swansea City over two legs in the Southern Area Final.

So Parkinson's side showed that season that they could successfully combine two good cup runs with a promotion push.

Wouldn't it be great if history repeated itself for Mullins' Class of 2021-22, this time around?