Colchester United

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Danny Cowley believes a close-run affair against second-placed MK Dons has set Colchester up perfectly to cause an upset at league leaders Bromley.

An own goal from Matt Macey was all that separated the U's from MK Dons on Wednesday.

Cowley believes the confidence gained from that game could see Colchester put a spanner in the works for title-chasing Bromley.

"Andy [Woodman] has put together a group who tick a lot of boxes in League Two," Cowley told BBC Essex.

"Bromley are a really good team, they ask a lot of questions of you and they are a threat from set-pieces.

"So a lot to admire and respect for sure."

Bromley are unbeaten in 19 games in the league at their Hayes Lane ground this season but Cowley believes Colchester can ruin that record.

"We go from the biggest pitch in the league at MK Dons to the smallest, tightest at Bromley. But it is a great game for us and one we are looking forward to," he said.

"We know we play a team top of the league, we know they are unbeaten at home, we know we have a day less recovery but it is set up lovely for us.

"I have to take confidence from Wednesday and we'll see where that takes us."

Colchester sit six points off the play off places in 13th place going into the weekend while Bromley have a two-point lead over MK Dons at the top.

Image source, EFL

Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."