The experienced midfielder has been a key figure for the U’s in their past two games but it is the different roles he can perform that could give boss Danny Cowley valuable flexibility, at the SMH Group Stadium.

Digby caught the eye when he was pushed into a more attacking number eight role during the goalless draw with Exeter City, just seven days after operating at centre-back in the 1-0 defeat at Newport County.

His switch further forward against the Grecians proved very effective and demonstrated why Cowley values having the experienced campaigner at his disposal.

And while Digby looks likely to retain his place against Chesterfield, the intriguing question could be where Cowley chooses to deploy him.

“Paul Digby is a good man and a good human being, first and foremost,” said Cowley.

“When you know you’re going into a fight, you’ve got to make sure that you’ve got enough good people with you.

“We played him as an eight.

Experience - Colchester United midfielder Paul Digby (Image: Richard Blaxall)

“We thought we could drag their full-back out and get down the sides of their two centre-halves and occupy their right-back, man to man.

“We thought that could create a lot of space for us to get down the sides.

“I thought that worked well and we also wanted something to kick at; we had to go over.

“They pressed us more aggressively, because they probably knew that we didn’t have a nine to play into.

“We used him in that capacity and I thought he did really well.”

Digby’s display has added another possible ingredient to Cowley’s midfield mix going into the Chesterfield encounter.

Finding the right balance in that area of the pitch has been a challenge for the U’s boss following the loss of Arthur Read in the summer and Teddy Bishop to injury.

Cowley believes it is not simply a question of identifying his strongest individual midfielders but finding a combination of players whose qualities complement each other.

“I think we have to be ready to adapt,” he said.

“We’re just trying to find the right balance, in the midfield.

“Last year, we had lots of technical ones; this year, we lost Arthur and we lost Teddy to injury.

Summer signing - Paul Digby joined Colchester United from Dundee in the summer (Image: Richard Blaxall)

“All of our young ones who are still developing and trying to get better are athletic, running midfielders.

“Midfield is about finding the right blend; it’s not necessarily the best player.”

Digby demonstrated against Exeter that he can offer Cowley something different in that department, having been asked to perform a markedly different job from the one he carried out at Newport.

Whether the U’s boss opts to use him in midfield again at Chesterfield remains to be seen, but his versatility provides another useful option as Colchester look to find that elusive balance in the middle of the park.