Jack Payne Prepares for 100th Appearance with Colchester United

Jack Payne is about to hit a milestone that has somehow eluded him his entire career. At 31, the Colchester United playmaker is preparing for his 100th appearance for the U’s this weekend – the first time he will have reached three figures at a single club.

For a player who has dotted his way across the English pyramid, that matters.

“It’s the first time I’ve actually played 100 games for one club,” Payne said. “It shouldn’t have taken this long, but I’m really glad to reach the 100 mark. I really enjoy myself here, and I want to make that many more. This is my third season here, and I’ve only ever done that once at any other club.”

Payne arrived in Essex in 2024 and quickly became the heartbeat of Colchester’s midfield. In a fraught 2024-25 campaign where the club clung on to their EFL status and narrowly avoided dropping out of the Football League, he stood out. He was named Colchester’s player of the season and earned a place in the EFL League Two Team of the Year.

Those accolades were backed up by numbers. Across his 99 games so far, Payne has scored 22 goals and supplied 18 assists, a return that underlines just how central he has become to Colchester’s attacking play.

That sense of belonging has been hard won. Payne’s CV is long: Southend United, Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City, Swindon Town, Charlton Athletic. Loan spells at Oxford United, Blackburn Rovers, Bradford City and MK Dons. A career of packed bags and new postcodes.

“I’ve moved more often than I would have liked over the years for various different reasons,” he admitted. “I’ve felt settled here and hopefully I can be here for many more seasons. The supporters have taken really well to me, and the club really suits me.”

That bond has been tested by interest from elsewhere. Manager Danny Cowley revealed to BBC Essex that Colchester turned down bids for Payne in the summer window, a measure of how highly the club value him.

Payne heard the noise. He understood what it meant.

“It’s nice to hear and I’m obviously doing something right if people from elsewhere are looking to pay money for you,” he said. “I’d lie if I said it wasn’t flattering to hear about that, but that was never going to happen. I was always going to be here past the window, and hopefully past a few more windows.”

On the pitch this season, he has started quietly by his own standards. Payne created Colchester’s first League goal of the campaign in the 2-2 draw at Accrington, but has not added another goal or assist in the five matches since.

The concern is not his.

“I never worry about those things as I know as long as I’m available and I’m playing goals and assists will come,” he said. “It’s just about making sure I’m available, making sure my performances are good and I feel good in myself.”

For a player who has finally found a home, the numbers will follow. The bigger question is how far Colchester can go with their midfield metronome committed not just to game 100, but to the many that might yet come.