This piece was first published in the Colchester United programme yesterday.
Write about Colchester, they told us. Tell us what is happening around the town. No need to go big on football – leave that to us.
Except for the past fortnight we’ve been blogging about Colchester United at the Colchester Chronicle. It would be too easy to label it the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but the positive outlook that we like to put on Sunny Colch should lead to the Good, the Great and the Even Better.
Our optimism falls down however when two of the three stories in question include a little local difficulty with Florence Park plus *that* FA Cup match of which we dare not speak its name.
But let’s start with the Good – in fact it’s FANTASTIC. In true Roy of the Rovers style, young Brooklyn Maiden looks like he is about to live the local boy done good footballing fantasy.
Brooklyn doesn’t only have a pretty cool footballer’s name – he also has the skills to match. The Colchester young chap is about to sign for his hometown club after impressing for the St Edmunds Youth Under 9 team.
It’s quite a set up that the Greenstead based team has over at Magnolia Park. New players are always welcome at 10am on Saturdays. Brooklyn meanwhile will be joining up with the U’s in the New Year where he will receive top football coaching alongside his education.
As for the Bad and the Ugly?
Like a jobbing First Division ref, we’re being objective and sitting firmly on the fence when it comes to the Florence Park planning appeal put forward by Col U to Colchester Borough Council.
We did have something of a slight chuckle in the irony of the Old Library at the Town Hall not being big enough to stage a meeting all about… planning. A replay [aha!] is set for the first week of the New Year in the Moot Hall.
And finally the Ugly?
No one likes an FA Cup exist before the Christmas trees have had the chance to be put up, especially so when it’s against your minnow neighbours down the road. We do like the idea though of the Essex Derby making national news headlines.
Here’s hoping that one day the same fixture can be played with a more positive outcome. Brooklyn Maiden can score the classic comic strip injury time winner, all brought about because of his first class footballing education at… Florence Park.
