Former Carlisle United loan striker John-Kymani Gordon will face the Blues next season after joining one of their League Two rivals.

The frontman has signed for Colchester United after leaving Crystal Palace.

Gordon, who was on loan at Brunton Park in the 2022/23 promotion season, has committed his future to the Essex club on a two-year permanent deal.

It will bring him in opposition to his former club when United visit the Weston Homes Community Stadium on October 5, with the return clash at Brunton Park next February 15.

The 21-year-old is a fourth summer signing at Colchester under manager Danny Cowley, who said of Gordon: “He will be a super exciting player for the club.

"We lost Jayden Fevrier and his athleticism, but we think we’ve found a really good replacement.

“He’s come from Crystal Palace, and I think people were a bit shocked to see him go from there.

"He has getaway pace, can carry the ball and has good end product. He has an edge, and I like that.”

Gordon joined United in January 2023 and made 17 appearances, scoring twice.

He netted on his debut in a 2-0 win against Newport County and went on to bag the only goal in a 1-0 win at Rochdale.

The striker struggled for goals after that but played a key part in United's play-off semi-final fightback against Bradford City, forcing the Brad Halliday own-goal that levelled the tie in Brunton Park's second leg.

He went on to start in the final against Stockport County at Wembley.

Gordon, who had loan spells at Cambridge United and AFC Wimbledon last season, told the Colchester website: "I’m very excited, coming here from Palace.

"I’ve been at Palace all my life, so I think now it’s time for a new journey so I’m excited to see what the future holds.

“I’m a powerful forward that likes to create and score goals. I want to help the team as much as possible, I’m very direct and I’ll work hard for the team.

"I know what the league's like, I know how teams play, how physical it is and I'm excited to get going."