All good things must come to an end...

Well it was good while it lasted. Our romantic tale with Colchester has come to an end at the hands of a very classy Spurs team as they beat the U's 4-1.

To be honest we didn't travel to Essex expecting any other result but that didn't stop us dreaming. Our heads told us that Spurs, who were 64 places above Colchester, would dominate the game. But our hearts said that maybe the impossible could be reality.

Our trip across to Colchester nearly never happened as tickets sold out within an evening for the much anticipated game. We were gutted that our FA Cup Story could be over but thanks to some great customer service at the club they managed to get hold of some golden tickets. Not only this but the club also agreed to put our story in their matchday programme, read by around 12,000 people!

Since the last round there has been an increased media attention for our story and we were invited onto BBC Radio Essex to discuss our journey on their breakfast show. So we set off from Oxford at 7:00am for the studio in Chelmsford. We met with DJ Pete Holmes who interviewed us for five minutes on air about the highs of the trip and the best stadium we have been to. Pete was a great host but to be honest I think he was preparing himself for the next segment on the show which was about cleaning the A120 - hard hitting journalism!

The kick-off was at 12:45 which met that we had some time to actually explore Colchester town centre for the first time in our four visits. But first a Full English breakfast was first on the agenda and believe me it was a welcomed treat after getting up at 6:00am. We can all safely recommend Timbers Restaurant if you happen to find yourself in Colchester any time soon.

We are getting pretty familiar with the Weston Homes Community Stadium by now and headed straight to the 'shipping crate' stage to see what brilliant act they had on this week. Previously we have had an extreme heavy metal band and a very odd folk band who only sang noises and not words. But this week we were very surprised to find a good act playing in the crate as tributes to Status Quo and other classics rang out around the ground.

Our tickets were for the East Stand - the Family Stand - which we were slightly worried about. The atmosphere in the last match was fantastic as we were singing and chanting throughout with the hardcore Col U fans! Would the family stand live up to previous high standards?

It turns out that we didn't need to worry, and with blue and white balloons to hand we were ready to cheer, shout and yell on United! But within two minutes of the action starting it all came to a horrible standstill as Alex Wynter collided with his own player and knocked out on the deck for five minutes. The collision was horrendous and shocked everyone in the crowd - not what Colchester needed.

So far in this cup run the highest level side we have seen has been Charlton, who played pretty terrible. One thing we weren't ready for was the sheer class and quality of Spurs. The attacking force of Kane, Chadli, Lamela and Eriksen has propelled Tottenham into the Champions League spaces... and you can see why! In the first half they were unreal. They ripped Colchester apart with their beautiful, quick play but Colchester withstood the pressure - well, until the 27th minute when Chadli fired in a beautiful shot from 18 yards.

Over the past four matches we have fallen in love with Colchester and their fans. This continued with probably our favourite chant of the FA Cup so far: "You're nothing special, we lose every week".

But for all Tottenham's pressure they went in only 1-0 up at half-time. With a bit of luck could Colchester fight back?

They certainly tried and upped their game in the second half. George Moncur pushed further up the pitch and, along with Massey and Porter, really tested the Tottenham defence. A ten minute spell of high pressure was ended with a harsh deflection from a Eric Dier shot which put Spurs 2-0 up. Chadli added a third which really flattered the visitors, but they didn't mind! Game over, surely?

But in the spirit that has epitomised this years' FA Cup, Colchester carried on and eventually got their goal albeit from the boot of a Spurs defender.

In true FA Cup style, both teams forgot their defensive duties in the final minutes with both teams pushing for a goal. Unfortunately for Colchester it was Spurs who were to get a fourth goal and put the tie to bed once and for all.

FT– Colchester 1-4 Tottenham Hotspur. We book our place in the 5th round!

Reaction - https://t.co/oI8XHCG1Ny #COYS pic.twitter.com/f9Xa0i9cll

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 30, 2016

So Colchester are dumped out of the cup but definitely shouldn't be upset with their plucky effort against fantastic opposition. It's been a great journey with the Essex boys but that sadly has to end as now we have found our new team - Tottenham Hotspur.

Will we be following Spurs all the way to the final? We could well do! They play attractive and skilful football that certainly is effective. They must be in the top four favourites going into the last 16. I must say that we are all excited to follow Kane and Co through to the latter stages of the cup.

Come on you Spurs!

The Big Boys Are Coming!

So far in our FA Cup story we have all be a tad disappointed with the FA Cup draws, if truth be told. But all that changed today as we get set to welcome either Tottenham or Leicester to the Weston Homes Community Stadium. And, as I said in my last post, I genuinely think that Colchester have a good chance against their Premier League opposition.

It's a huge tie for Colchester. It's the first time a Premier League side has come to the Weston Homes Community Stadium for a competitive match - and we will be there to watch it (hopefully).

#ColU will face Tottenham or Leicester after the teams were drawn together in Monday's #FACup draw. More soon! pic.twitter.com/yjXrWcxNGQ

— Colchester United FC (@ColU_Official) January 11, 2016

Obviously it's going to be tough for the U's but if the lads show the same passion and skill as they did against Charlton they have a chance.

It's also a great opportunity for Colchester to forget about their league woes and face the likes of Vardy and Marhez or Kane and Lamela! And who wouldn't be excited about that?

This will now be our third visit to Colchester after never visiting ever before. We are starting to feel like we are in Groundhog Day! At least this time I might be able to understand the confusing roundabout system around the ground.

The game is sure to be a sell-out and we will desperately try and get tickets to continue our FA Cup story and cheer on the boys in Blue and White!

Come on you U's!

The Colchester Love Story

They say that the FA Cup is a love story; one of twists, turns, passion and of course upset. And I could not agree more. But not only are we falling in love with the FA Cup, we are falling deep in love with Colchester United after a spirited 2-1 victory against Championship side Charlton.

The lads were joined by Jack and Matt (Dave's friends) who were excited what Colchester had to offer. But heading off to Essex we were concerned that the game would not offer the same excitement as the previous rounds had. Both teams were 23rd in the respective leagues, League One and the Championship. One would forgive either side playing a weakened team with vital league games ahead. But no, once again the FA Cup produced one hell of a game!

We arrived in Colchester with time to spare, even after getting terribly confused around the roundabout system despite already visiting the Weston Homes Community Stadium. We had enough time for Jack and Matt to pick up some souvenirs from the club shop and for all us to buy an overpriced burger.

With the rain bucketing it down we headed into shelter and found our seats. This time we decided to sit in with the real hardcore Colchester fans, because after two games of watching the U's we were avid fans.

There was one problem however, we didn't know any Colchester songs. After listening hard to the fans chant it became apparent that the word 'Colchester' doesn't fit into any football song. So instead the Colchester fans cleverly sing 'Go U's' - quite easy to pick up really! (*Edit* After posting this blog some kind Colchester fans have notified us that they actually sing 'ColU'. Colchester fans really are lovely!)

The game was a cracker - from start to finish. Colchester played with style, pace and flair, you seriously wouldn't know they were struggling in League One. But as great as Colchester were, Charlton were equally bad. The U's had chance after chance and finally put one in the back of the net when George Moncur fired in a beautiful left-footed shot.

This set the home fans off. The atmosphere was fantastic and we were chanting along to the Colchester songs. "George Moncur, my Lord, George Moncurrrr!"

Just before half-time man-of-the-match Marvin Sordell put the U's 2-0 ahead with a calmly slotted finish. And the cup upset was on... Charlton, 24 places ahead of Colchester were about to be dumped out of the cup.

The second half display was just as dominant. Sordell and Moncur were running the show and shredding the Charlton defence in two but thanks to the woodwork and the keeper the game remained within the grasp of Charlton. Eventually Charlton grabbed a consolation goal in injury time through the brilliant named Reza Ghoochannejhad.

But Colchester hung on to a famous 2-1 win and are in the hat for the 4th Round of the FA Cup for the first time in 10 years. And we will be there every step of the way!

On the 140 mile journey back to Oxford we went through all the remaining teams left in the competition and decided who we want to face in the next round. Although we would love a big away tie at Anfield or Old Trafford, we think that Colchester would give anyone a good game at home. Bring on Manchester United at the Weston Homes Community Stadium!

Come on you U's!