Colchester have built a shiny new ground in the Essex countryside. After settling into a nice country pub the locals told us that it was only a 15 minute walk away across the field. Unfortunately they didnt tell us which field and a short bus ride later seemed to leave us further away from the ground that we started. Added to the fact that they hadn't thought to build many turnstiles meant a long queue built up and i managed to miss kick-off.
On getting inside, unsurprisingly we found the same team. We started poorly, Colchester had a lot of possession and we struggled to hold onto the ball for any length of time. We were indebted to 2 fine saves from Casper for keeping it level for the first 20 minutes, one near post plunge was particularly impressive as the ball came out of a forest of legs. Slowly we began to exert a bit more control, working some nice triangles, especially down the right and the ball began to spent more time down the far end of the pitch. Beckford was hanging on the shoulder of the last defender and Becchio just overhit one pass that would have put him clear. Delph began to find some space to stretch his legs and began to look for the killer pass. However, the goal when it came was from a more conventional route, Becchio controlled a loose ball on the edge of the area, muscled his way past the defender and then hit it back across the keeper into the top right hand corner. A good finish. In truth we should have been 2 up by half time, Delph broke from his area and hit a crossfield pass which the defenders missed and left Beckford clean through. Unfortunately he hit it straight at the keeper. Second half was a bit of a non event, we remained in control but couldn't get a 2nd goal that would have settled any nerves, though Colchester never really looked like scoring, Sodje and Naylor comfortable at the back. There were a couple of goals disallowed for offside (Delph and Beckford) but in both cases the flag went up a long time before the ball got to the net. Becchio had a decent claim for a penalty as he was shoved in the back chasing a high cross but we actually made little in terms of clear chances. Robinson came on for Kilkenny and Delph moved into the centre but the game meandered towards the end. Right at the depth Beckford chased a long pass/clearance - shook off the defender and managed to hit the keeper again. A second goal maybe just about deserved but it didnt really matter as the whistle went seconds later. In the end a routine victory, largely because Colchester were fairly useless after a bright opening. Scores Casper 8 - 2 good saves early on - little else to do. Douglas 8 - Good game, tidied up nicely at the back and joined in nicely with the midfield at times. Parker 6 - Did nothing wrong defensively, little impact otherwise. Naylor 7 - Solid at the back, got booked again for another bunch of handbags. Sodje 8 - Reads the game very well to compensate for a slight lack of height. Snodgrass 7 - Industrious as ever though didn't get past his man as much as usual. Kilkenny 7 - Moved the ball around fine, before usual substitution. Howson 6 - Quieter than in recent weeks. Delph 7 - Over-elaborates at times, but quality still shines through. Becchio 8.5 - Probably MOTM worked hard all game and capped it with a fine goal. Beckford - Less stroppy but no goals today. Maybe you can't have one without the other. Matt _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist Visit http://tinyurl.com/ce37mx NOW!
