On This #ColU Day review

Written by historian, statistician and Colchester United super fan Graeson Laitt, ‘On This #Colu Day’ is everything a Colchester (and football) fan needs to delve into classic Col u moments.

‘Laitty’ is a proud United know-it-all and he shows of his knowledge even further by his day-by-day accounts of events over the years of the club. The book is a recount of all significant moments that occurred regarding Colchester United. It covers events from: the birth of Colchester legend Ray Crawford; to the date of Colchester’s dismal drop from the Football League.

Graeson has been running his own website all about Colchester for a while now called Coludata.co.uk. It has stats galore from matches to squads to managers and more. You name something Col U related: it’s there. As well as that, Laitty’s Col U database also helped him find his way into his own regular spot in Colchester’s match day programme. However, these needn’t be your only port of call for all things U’s anymore. Laitty has condensed his limitless knowledge into this brilliant book.

In terms of its layout, the book is almost written in diary style. The reader would turn to, for example, December, then find – for instance – the 10th (which happens to be my birthday) and hey presto, it shows the most significant events that took place on that date. One 10th December that I remember vividly, is The U’s top of the table clash with Swansea in 2005. Neil Danns missed a penalty that prevented Colchester from topping the table for my birthday. Gutted. (Thanks for reminding me of that one Laitty…).

Thankfully, Graeson hasn’t forgotten a moment. But if you have, you’ll find it in his book. So, if you’re not sure what gift to get for someone who’s football mad, Graeson Laitt’s book makes a cracker of a Col U Christmas present.

‘On This #Colu Day’ is available on Coludata.co.uk to order or, alternatively, the book is available to buy from Red Lion Books in Colchester.

And who knows, maybe come the end of this season, Laitty will be lamenting a significant moment that will be missing in his book: The almighty U’s promotion to League One. (Although I suppose he could always put it in his next book).

Written by D3D4 Colchester United correspondent Piers Palmer. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @Piers_Palmer