Colchester could hand a first Sky Bet League Two start of the season to Tom Lapslie when they host Crawley on Tuesday night.

The 25-year-old midfielder has yet to feature for the U’s during the current campaign after having knee surgery in the summer.

But Lapslie started for the Under-23s on Saturday and could be in contention to feature.

Manager Steve Ball may look to alter things having lost 6-1 to Exeter, with the likes of Luke Norris and Joshua Bohui pushing for recalls.

Crawley head to the JobServe Community Stadium having reached the third round of the FA Cup with victory over AFC Wimbledon on Sunday.

Boss John Yems has no fresh injury worries but will be aware of the short turnaround between the two fixtures.

Goalkeeper Tom McGill continues his recovery after being admitted to hospital following a heavy concussion during the FA Cup first-round win at Torquay.

George Francomb (broken arm) is also still working his way back to fitness, while midfielder Reece Grego-Cox is a long-term absentee with a knee issue.