Shrewsbury v Colchester preview: Confusion at Colchester but Etherington is back in charge
Matthew Etherington has been reinstated as interim boss in charge of Colchester ahead of their game with Shrewsbury Town at the weekend.
The former Stoke winger was unable to take charge of the U’s game against Accrington last weekend after Crawley alleged he was still under contract at the club.
Etherington was initially put in charge of the team after Ben Garner was sacked following four successive defeats, but Crawley said he was in breach of contract relating to an agreement he signed with his former side back in 2022.
Colchester asked him to step aside for the match while they looked into it in more detail, and they ended up winning 1-0 thanks to Joe Taylor’s 57th-minute strike.
Garner’s former assistant coach Scott Marshall was put in caretaker charge as the interim boss taking the team for that game.
But after Robbie Cowling, the Colchester owner, reviewed his contract with Crawley, a club where Etherington was in charge for 32 days before resigning, he reinstated him as interim manager – which means he will be in charge at the Croud Meadow tomorrow.
Colchester had lost nine of their 13 games in League Two up to Garner’s sacking before Etherington took over, moving up from coaching the under-21s.
In the two games since Garner’s departure, Colchester have won both.
A 3-2 win away at Grimsby and then of course the win at Accrington last weekend, and they will be looking to build on that tomorrow.
The two successive victories have boosted their position in League Two and saw them pull away from the bottom with 16 points from their 15 games.
