DANNY Cowley dedicated Colchester United’s hard-earned draw at Port Vale to the club’s travelling supporters after they battled back to claim a point at Vale Park.
Samson Tovide’s 90th-minute equaliser earned the U’s a share of the spoils after a 1-1 draw with the Valiants, in League Two.
Colchester had 140 fans at their game and boss Cowley was quick to salute them at the final whistle, after his side secured a point on their travels to produce a positive response to their 4-0 defeat at Walsall.
READ MORE: Match report as Colchester strike late to claim point at Vale
Cowley, who made six changes to his starting line-up for the Vale clash, said: “I need to start by thanking the supporters because for them to travel like they did on Saturday (at Walsall) and then to back it up; it’s not easy for them to go away away, two long travels.
“It’s not easy for the players but they get paid to do it so for our supporters to do that and stay behind us like they did, I thought they were brilliant.
“That was for them and they deserved to have their long travel back to Essex with at least a point.
“Port Vale are a team who are going to be there or thereabouts.
“You only have to look at their recruitment and all of the players they have.
“They’ve been really aggressive with their recruitment, Darren Moore is a really, really good manager and they’re a really good team so we knew that when the game came as quickly as it did, particularly after travelling on Saturday, that we had to try and freshen it up.
“I think it was the right thing to do and I think we started the game well, which gave us a really good platform.
“We knew we were questioned after the weekend but I thought we answered it in a positive way with a resilient, determined and gritty performance.”
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Tovide turned in from close range after substitute JK Gordon's shot had been parried into his path by goalkeeper Connor Ripley to cancel out Jesse Debrah's second-half header and earn the U's a point.
“First half, credit to us because I don’t think they had a shot on goal,” continued Cowley.
“That was down to the way that we competed and the way that we defended, carried threat on the counter attack and when we got into good areas, they fouled tactically and intelligently so we couldn’t quite turn those counters into more.
“For them to have to make three changes at half-time was credit to our first-half performance and they changed their shape and went to a 4-2-3-1.
“Their goal comes from their first attempt on target and from a corner.
“It was the first goal we’ve conceded from a set-piece, this season which was disappointing.
“We had a front, middle and back zone in, so we shouldn’t have conceded that.
“I thought our response off the back of conceding that was brilliant and the boys that came on were fantastic.
READ MORE: Port Vale 1 Colchester United 1 - as it happened
“Payney and Lyle gave us some quality, Jamie McDonnell was everywhere, Arthur did such a good job in that midfield in the last 30 minutes and pleased for JK, because he’s had a tough time off the pitch with a family member ill.
“The boys have been rallying around him and I was pleased that he could come on and contribute the way he did.
“It was a brilliant run and a great shot and for Sams, they’re the best goals those ones, in the six-yard box.
“We’ve got boys like Tom Hopper, who hasn’t trained for two weeks but goes and puts that amount of effort and energy in – he was like two players for us.
“Kells came in and never lets this club down and has incredible personality and plays with leadership and real conviction.”
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