Goal-shy U’s

COLCHESTER United have rarely had any trouble finding the net, during John McGreal’s reign.

But yesterday’s 1-0 home loss to Yeovil Town saw their problems in front of goal continue.

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The U’s have managed just one goal in their last four games, with three of those fixtures against sides in the bottom half of the table.

It did not help that leading scorer Sammie Szmodics saw his early penalty saved and Glovers keeper Stuart Nelson performed heroics for the visitors throughout.

But while Colchester’s defending has generally been good over recent weeks, it goes without saying that it counts for little if they are not producing the goods at the other end.

As McGreal said after yesterday’s defeat, this season they have badly missed the scoring input of Brennan Dickenson, Kurtis Guthrie and Chris Porter which made up 40 of the 67 league goals they scored in the previous campaign.

Hopes have faded

UP until a few weeks ago, making the League Two play-offs still looked a distinct possibility for Colchester United.

But after picking up just one point from a possible 12 in their last four games, the prospect of finishing in the top seven now looks improbable to say the least for the U’s, especially with games against six of the top-nine teams still to come.

A home match against a Yeovil Town side who look destined for a bottom-half finish in the table and with only two away wins to their name all season prior to this weekend was a great opportunity to claim three valuable points.

But much like the game against bottom club Barnet three weeks earlier, Colchester well and truly blew their big chance.

With nine games remaining, the U’s players are realistically now playing for contracts between now and the end of the season – whether at their present club or elsewhere.

Paying the penalty

THE confusion that took between team-mates Sammie Szmodics and Kurtis Guthrie prior to Colchester United’s penalty in the early stages of their defeat against Yeovil Town reflected their frustrating afternoon.

The mix-up apparently arose due to the prolonged absence of Guthrie, who was taking the U’s penalties prior to his spell out of the team.

In the end, Szmodics ended up seeing his penalty saved by Glovers keeper Stuart Nelson, so the final outcome was unsatisfactory for all with a Colchester persuasion particularly as it proved crucial to the result.

It was a day to forget for Guthrie, who was subjected to barracking from some of the home fans and disappeared straight down the tunnel after being taken off midway through the second half.

Jeepers keepers

COLCHESTER United found goalkeeper Stuart Nelson in fine form yesterday.

The experienced shot-stopper played a big part in Yeovil Town’s 1-0 win, with the highlight of his performance his save to deny Sammie Szmodics from the spot.

It is not the first time that he has been the penalty hero for his side, at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Back in 2014, his saves helped Gillingham beat the U’s in a penalty shoot-out in a Football League Trophy game, scoring the winning spot-kick.

On that occasion, Nelson was left behind by the team bus and had to be given a lift home by the club’s media team.

There were no such problems for the experienced keeper this time around, though.

Grounds for applause

FOR the second successive home game, there sadly were not too many outstanding performances by Colchester United players yesterday. 

But at least there was one man with a U’s persuasion who excelled himself with his overall display.

Colchester’s head groundsman David Blacknall once again showed his value to the club by preparing the pitch as well as he did, despite the dreadful conditions prior to the match.

The fact that there was no talk about the playing surface after the game owes much to Blacknall’s expertise and experience and his dedication to his job.