Colchester

As I completed my journey home this morning, I saw some Chelsea fans en route to Valencia. Having to visit places like Colchester really emphasises how long ago that all was.

On jumping in a taxi at the station, we noticed the ridiculous amount of police wandering round. After pointing out to the driver that was a bit of overkill for 700 Leeds fans, he told us that was normal and the only real activity in Colchester was watching Squaddies and Students fight – lovely place.

After lingering in the pub a bit too long we got to the ground just as the game was starting. We then went in to find we couldn’t actually get near the terrace as the little entrance tunnel was already completely jammed. So surreally the police told us to go back out again and directed us to side entrance, where we just wandered in without having to show tickets. We ended up squashed up by the food stall, where Al proceeded to sample all the pies in a brave attempt to create a bit more room.

The packed terrace at our end was about 6 steps deep, this was obviously the big end, as at the other side of the pitch the seated stand had approximately 4 rows of seats.

First half very little happened. We had one good chance from Healy that he blazed over the bar and I can’t remember Casper having a save to make. Awful game of football. We largely contended ourselves with joining in as the Colchester fans sung “F**king useless” to the tune of the Richard Cresswell song.

After taking 10 minutes to squeeze my way to the bogs – cleverly located in the middle of the terrace where it was most crowded, we got to the main entertainment of the day. Half-time. Whereby the locals carried a shed onto the pitch to chants of “Is that your new stand” from our end.

Second-half began in much the same vein as the first, aerial ping-pong, misplaced passes and hopeful hoofs adding up to nothing much. Then a touch of luck with the goal, Lewis tried to spread the ball wide but it ricochets back to him in space on the edge of the area, and in a rare moment of class puts it into the bottom corner. Cue much jumping around.

The game then drifted back into its pattern and as time passed you began to feel we could win, not that we’d done anything to change the game or get control, but just that Colchester looked bereft of ideas themselves. Kandol then gets flattened and is taken off for treatment, Wise misses the chance to change the shape (obviously thinks you need a big man, even one who cant win headers) and gets lucky when the ref fails to spot Kandols retaliatory elbow.

Just when hope was turning into expectation, a soft free-kick is given away and we somehow forget to mark the 6 foot 4 centre-forward standing in the middle of the box and it’s all level. Still no changes from midget Den (until a last minute swap of Healy and Blake) and we waste a couple of corners before inevitably conceding a last minute winner.

I didn’t see the red card but I assume Douglas was as angry with himself and the team generally than with the ref in particular. Wiley wasn’t great but he wasn’t the reason we lost. Lets face it we were lucky to get anything from Plymouth on Saturday, so we can’t complain too much about get a point nicked off of us here.

Scores – Not really fair to do too much scoring given the poor view and poor performance but will try anyway.

Casper   6   -    Not much to do apart from pick ball out of net

Marques   5   -   Looked a bit lost at right-back, didn’t come forward much.

Heath / Michelak    Both 5  -   Not sure who was marking for 1st Colly goal

Gray    6    -   Tried but not as productive as usual

Kishichev   5    -   Caught between helping Marques at RB and swapping into centre with Douglas – never really got hold of ball

Thompson   4  -   Game seemed to pass him by, couple of crap free-kicks

Douglas   6  -   Often seemed to be on own in the middle. Did battle well within his limitations

Lewis   7  -   Probably best of an average bunch, only real threat.

Kandol   3  -   Had a shocker, tends to hang around back post not looking like he really wants the ball

Healy    5   -   Was anonymous

Wise   5   -   Looks increasingly like a page boy at a wedding in a over-sized suit – you can imagine Gus telling him “You’ll grow into it”.  Didn’t use subs to try and influence the game.

Matt