Town 2 Colchester 0
Town started in a poor manner. Colchester, under the guidance of former Ipswich man Phil Parkinson, were by far the better team and created a host of problems for Town's defence. Midfielder Kemal Izzet, brother of Izzy, and Frenchman Thomas Pinault controlled much of the first half from midfield as Hamilton and Daws watched on.
'Keeper Aidan Davison kept Town in the game with a series of fine saves in the first half, Scott McGleish and Sam Stockley both testing the veteran from distance. Former Oldham man Wayne Andrews breached the defence with his pace on occasions only to find Davison one step ahead of him.
Town created their own chances, most of which fell to Anderson who's determination (or greed) to shoot saw them go into the Pontoon.
After a nervous 20 minutes Town slowly put in some good possession play. The neat passing can work well if used in the right manner. Hamilton especially excells at this with his quick feet and strong build. Daws is no slouch as a player and whilst he has helped shore up the defensive side of the game, his attacking game is lacking. A combination of Campbell and Hamilton in the middle would, in my opinion, suit Town a lot more if they continue with the possession game.
Town were hit with a blow on 28 minutes. Mike Edwards suffered a broken nose resulting in Simon Ford replacing him. This reunited the shaky Ford/Crane partnership in defence. In fairness neither were troubled in the short time they played.
Positive runs from Anderson and Campbell threatened to break the U's defence but the final ball was lacking. Until 41 minutes that is. Darren Barnard was given space on the left to swing in a dangerous cross. Iffy Onuora rose above his man at the back post to glance his header into the goal. Jeez, an Iffy goal. How lucky are we?
Just before the break Simon Ford limped to be replaced by Jason Crowe. Crowe went to centre back which could have looked worrying if the Colchester strike force of Andrews and Vine weren't so small.
The second half was more in Town's favour as Colchester more or less conceded defeat.
Boulding started to find his touch in the second half, as he ran at the U's defence with his former swagger. Sadly his finish was lacking for most the game.
The tiring Anderson was replaced by Marcel Cas with 20 minutes to go. Campbell switched onto the left wing allowing Cas to play on his favoured right flank.
The Dutchman was soon making a good impression. His presence in the air was a problem for the Colchester left side. Cas' pace soon came into the equation, picking the ball up near the halfway line he proceeded to skip past two defenders with ease before forcing a fine save from Brown.
The second goal did come though. Boulding again was given space on the left side allowing him to cut in with ease. Having rode one challenge, Boulding faked to shoot before his weak effort was totally misjudged by Brown who let the ball trickle under him. A scruffy goal but most importantly it's got Boulding back on the goal trail. The celebration of the team piling on top of Boulding proved what it meant, not just to the scorer, but the whole team.
The game whimpered out with little event, Colchester's unique free kick mildly ammusing.
Overall a win is a win yet Colchester were very poor and didn't deserve to lose 2-0. Improvement is still needed.
The game ended with Paul Groves and Graham Rodger clapping all three home stands. Coupled with their new 'fan friendly' attitude during games, a cynic could suggest that the pair are trying to get the fans on their side. I wouldn't dare imply such a thing, mind.
Man of the Match - Aidan Davison. Commanding throughout and some vital saves in the first half. Put his midweek nightmare behind him to produce a fine performance. Notable mentions also to Stuart Campbell and the ever improving Des Hamilton.
After a nervous 20 minutes Town slowly put in some good possession play. The neat passing can work well if used in the right manner. Hamilton especially excells at this with his quick feet and strong build. Daws is no slouch as a player and whilst he has helped shore up the defensive side of the game, his attacking game is lacking. A combination of Campbell and Hamilton in the middle would, in my opinion, suit Town a lot more if they continue with the possession game.
Town were hit with a blow on 28 minutes. Mike Edwards suffered a broken nose resulting in Simon Ford replacing him. This reunited the shaky Ford/Crane partnership in defence. In fairness neither were troubled in the short time they played.
Positive runs from Anderson and Campbell threatened to break the U's defence but the final ball was lacking. Until 41 minutes that is. Darren Barnard was given space on the left to swing in a dangerous cross. Iffy Onuora rose above his man at the back post to glance his header into the goal. Jeez, an Iffy goal. How lucky are we?
Just before the break Simon Ford limped to be replaced by Jason Crowe. Crowe went to centre back which could have looked worrying if the Colchester strike force of Andrews and Vine weren't so small.
The second half was more in Town's favour as Colchester more or less conceded defeat.
Boulding started to find his touch in the second half, as he ran at the U's defence with his former swagger. Sadly his finish was lacking for most the game.
The tiring Anderson was replaced by Marcel Cas with 20 minutes to go. Campbell switched onto the left wing allowing Cas to play on his favoured right flank.
The Dutchman was soon making a good impression. His presence in the air was a problem for the Colchester left side. Cas' pace soon came into the equation, picking the ball up near the halfway line he proceeded to skip past two defenders with ease before forcing a fine save from Brown.
The second goal did come though. Boulding again was given space on the left side allowing him to cut in with ease. Having rode one challenge, Boulding faked to shoot before his weak effort was totally misjudged by Brown who let the ball trickle under him. A scruffy goal but most importantly it's got Boulding back on the goal trail. The celebration of the team piling on top of Boulding proved what it meant, not just to the scorer, but the whole team.
The game whimpered out with little event, Colchester's unique free kick mildly ammusing.
Overall a win is a win yet Colchester were very poor and didn't deserve to lose 2-0. Improvement is still needed.
The game ended with Paul Groves and Graham Rodger clapping all three home stands. Coupled with their new 'fan friendly' attitude during games, a cynic could suggest that the pair are trying to get the fans on their side. I wouldn't dare imply such a thing, mind.
Man of the Match - Aidan Davison. Commanding throughout and some vital saves in the first half. Put his midweek nightmare behind him to produce a fine performance. Notable mentions also to Stuart Campbell and the ever improving Des Hamilton.