Colchester United will face either Chorley or Worcester City in the FA Cup first round. The U's were drawn at home, with the tie scheduled for the weekend of Saturday 7 November at the JobServe Community Stadium.
Chorley and Worcester City must first contest a replay tomorrow at Sixways Stadium after a dramatic 93rd-minute equaliser forced a second match. The replay kicks off at 19:45. Chorley, who are tenth in the National League North, took the lead through captain Mike Calveley but finished their initial tie with ten men after goalkeeper Li-Bau Stowell was sent off for a second bookable offence.
For Colchester, the cup draw offers a welcome distraction from their League Two campaign. The team currently sits 20th in the table with 11 points from 10 games, having drawn 0-0 with Exeter City last time out. Their recent form shows just two wins this season, with a run of three draws and two losses in their last five matches. This sequence of results, which includes a 1-0 loss to Newport County and draws with Luton and Shrewsbury, leaves them 11 points behind the league leaders, Salford City. Their overall record of two wins, five draws and three losses has yielded 10 goals scored and 13 conceded.
Their immediate focus returns to league action this weekend with a trip to face seventh-placed Chesterfield on Saturday 17 October. The team will look to top scorer J. Payne, who has 13 goals this season, to help improve their fortunes. After that, attention will turn to the FA Cup and a chance to improve on last season's first-round exit. The club was knocked out at this stage in the 2025/26 competition following a 3-2 defeat to MK Dons.
The winner of tomorrow's replay will travel to Essex for the first-round proper, with Colchester aiming to use home advantage to progress.
This story first appeared at cu-fc.com
