Walsall's Brandon Comley set for a trip down memory lane at Colchester

Walsall's midfield orchestrator spent the best part of three years in Essex - signing off by leading them to the EFL Cup quarter-finals and League Two play-offs in his final season.

He had amassed over 50 senior appearances by the time he landed at Colchester but his spell was a defining chapter in his career.

"It was a big part of my career," Comley reflects. "It was the time that I left the nest properly and moved from my parent club Queens Park Rangers when I went on loan there and then made a permanent move.

"I took the leap. It was a really big step into professional football and playing men's football every week."

Comley's midfield partner for his first two seasons was Championship leading scorer Sammie Szmodics.

Blackburn Rovers attacking midfielder Szmodics finished as Colchester's leading scorer in both campaigns and Comley always felt he was destined to play on a bigger stage.

"With that man, he just scores," the 28-year-old notes. "Some games you'd think that he's not really done much but then he'd pop up with a goal.

"That's what you can always rely on with him. It's a real gift because sometimes in a game, you know if you find him in the right position then you're guaranteed that he'll put the ball in the back of the net.

"He has just got better and better and I am so happy that he is showing what he can do on a big stage. Hopefully he can continue and go even higher."

John McGreal was at the helm for his three seasons with the U's and Comley experienced the highs and lows of professional football, especially during his second season when he was reduced to just 13 appearances due to injury.

That made it difficult for Comley to break back into the team as Colchester mounted a play-off charge during the 2019-20 campaign.

Nonetheless, Comley was able to play a key role - scoring from the bench in a 3-0 win over Swindon Town in the EFL Cup first round, before starring in Colchester's giant-killings over Premier League pair Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur on penalties.

A 3-1 victory at Crawley Town set-up a date at Old Trafford, which ended in a 3-0 defeat against Manchester United, but Colchester continued their momentum to achieve a play-off spot on points per game after Covid sent football into lockdown.

In a strange twist, Comley had departed the club by the time Colchester lost to Exeter City over two legs in the semi-finals but he felt it was a fitting farewell.

"It was an amazing run in the cup. It was a surreal experience because you never usually expect to come out the victor against these teams but we just kept defying the odds," he says.

"When we got to half-time goalless at Old Trafford, it felt like the dream might carry on but it wasn't meant to be. It was a run which some players don't ever get to experience so it'll never leave me.

"My time at Colchester was a learning curve. Sometimes I thought I could've played more games but it was all part of my footballing education, especially as a young player being around a team that was always doing well.

"You need to learn how to take the positives with the negatives and to ride the wave of not getting too high with the highs or too low with the lows.

"That last season was a culmination of the two seasons before. We had a really good team spirit quite like we have here at Walsall and that's why I know this team that we've got right now can go on and do well.

"It was a nice way to go out by making the play-offs and giving the fans something to get excited about."