Micky confirmed in his pre-match interview that Spearing will travel with the squad tomorrow, but it was unclear whether he is actually ready to start.
If he is available, it will be interesting to see whether we start with three in midfield, as we looked much better in a 433 last week than in a 442. However, Mellon might believe we can control the game with two central midfielders against weaker opposition. Personally, I don't think McPake is doing enough to justify his place away from home, particularly due to his unwillingness to track back.
Colchester's absentees apparently include the influential Allan Judge. I have read mixed reviews of their performance against Forest Green on Tuesday, with some suggesting they looked reasonable for periods of the game. Whatever their weaknesses, we will have to put in a better first half display than in the last half dozen away games to win the match.
It won't have any bearing on Saturday's game, but we actually have a good record at Colchester's new home. We won on our first ever visit with Ryan Shotton scoring the winner, and I have seen three wins and a draw on four subsequent visits. As referenced above, we even squeaked a point last season, despite some suitably bizarre tactical decisions from Keith Hill.
I think we need six points from the next two games to stay in contention for an automatic place. We need to win at least a couple of the remaining away games to make the top three, and this looks as good an opportunity as any.