Stan is always prepared to adjust his
formation and line-up, sometimes early in a game. His substitution of Branch for Armstrong
against Bristol Rovers was a good example of this. Then, his purpose was to snuff out the
danger posed by veteran wide-man Mark Walters. However, despite Stan’s tactical
dexterity, his games run to a familiar pattern. Stifle the opposition with tight
defending. Deny them space and time in midfield with energetic harrying. Strike hard on
the break. Gain an advantage and then hold it. Today’s game was true to form.
Mind you, the game plan was seriously threatened as early as the second
minute. Our formidable trio of centre backs were at sixes and sevens as some sharp
Colchester inter-passing scythed through them, allowing McGavin to set up Moralee with a
simple chance. Fortunately, the U’s centre forward, unmarked in a central position,
shot tamely at Crichton from around eight yards. Stung by this, Burnley drove forward and
just two minutes later, Cooke had a reasonable scoring chance when a knock down found him
with a little space inside Colchester’s box. Alas, his snap shot was directed just
wide of the left hand post. And so it continued throughout the first half as both teams
went at it hammer and tongs. It was an exhilarating display of attack and counter-attack
on a difficult, divot-strewn surface.
Although Colchester looked good going forward, their flat back four seemed
very square. With Paul Cook playing some exquisitely weighted balls beyond them, they were
regularly scrambling for cover. Little and Branch probed menacingly down either flank and
Cook and Wright pulled the home defenders all over the place with their movement on and
off the ball. Wright also treated us to a brief cameo of consummate skill as a double
shuffle and a quick shimmy took him past a Colchester defender. Unfortunately, it came to
nought. But Burnley looked odds on to score first. Our defence had come to terms with
Colchester’s nimble attackers and we were creating the better chances. Little almost
set us going in the sixteenth minute when he intercepted Keith’s pass and freed Cooke
on the right wing. Cooke crossed powerfully and accurately, but a Colchester centre back
just beat Wright in the air to clear at the expense of a corner. However, the breakthrough
was only delayed by a minute. Cook and Thomas exchanged quick passes on Colchester’s
left by line, allowing our midfielder to strike a crisp low pass into the home goal area.
Davis was quickest to react, stabbing the ball into the left-hand corner.
Wright almost stretched this lead in the eighteenth minute when he reached
a long right wing cross from Little at the far post. However, he seemed to be a little
unbalanced as he shot with his right foot, resulting in the ball pinging against the side
netting.
Obviously, Burnley considered this to be too easy. After all, how could we
possibly contemplate cruising to a comfortable away victory? So, in the 19th
minute Branch and Crichton hatched a cunning plan. Under pressure, Branch hit an
under-strength pass back to Crichton, whereupon our keeper scuffed his clearance, knocking
the ball straight to the adjacent McGavin who promptly steered it into the unguarded net.
This gift certainly energised the crowd and I expected that we would come
under the cosh. There were a few dodgy moments, like in the 30th minute, when
Gregory broke free of two Burnley defenders on the right flank. Thankfully, his shot found
the side netting rather than goal. Nevertheless, Burnley continued to give as much as they
received. It was quite clear that we had come for the three points. Little’s long
cross allowed Branch to head back across goal, but, under challenge, Mullin couldn’t
quite direct his header on target. However, this was a day for exchanging gifts. After
Colchester had conceded a corner on their right, they allowed Little to find Davis without
even a suggestion of a challenge. Stevie planted his powerful header high into the top
left-hand corner and, with seven minutes remaining of the first half, we were back in
front.
The second half was a bit of an anti-climax. Burnley decided to defend
their lead and, despite having most of the possession, Colchester rarely threatened this
policy. In fact, the better chances fell to Burnley on the break. In the 60th
minute, Little freed Wright in acres of space but the maestro decided to chip Brown from
distance, hoping the keeper would be blinded by the brilliant sun. However, the chip was
under hit and Brown caught it with ease. One minute later Little cut in from the right but
fired his powerful left foot shot just wide of the right post. Apart from Wright’s 83rd
minute scuffle with Duguid, resulting in a booking for both players, there were few other
incidents of note.
This was another solid team performance. Crichton was not as assured as
previously but our defenders protected him well. Cox, Davis and Thomas were all
magnificent. Leaving aside the faux pas with Crichton, I thought Branch had one of his
best games defensively. He made a series of important interceptions on both flanks and his
work rate was terrific. Little got better as the game progressed and was a constant menace
in the second half. His ball control on that awful surface was stunning. Johnrose again
impressed with his hard tackling and harrying and, although this was not one of his best
games, Mullin made some surging forward runs, notably in the first half. Paul Cook was
terrific, though, despite making a few errors as he tired. The quality of his passing in
the first half was of the highest order. He is cool under pressure and always looks for
the opportunity to play his way out of danger. However, he is not averse to the hacked
clearance and certainly he leant his weight to the cause as Colchester pressed forward in
the second period. I also thought Andy Cooke had a really good game. He worked as hard as
ever, holding the ball up under pressure but today he did more. His headed flicks in the
first half constantly had the Colchester defenders turning and, helped by Ian Wright, he
found more space than usual.
As for Ian Wright, he contributed energetically and enthusiastically to
the team’s cause. Forget the hype, Ian Wright is now just another important member of
a good team. I’m sure most of us saw stars when he signed. In our minds’ eyes,
it was all too easy to recapture his scintillating strikes for Arsenal, converting these
images to Turf Moor, replacing his red and white shirt with a claret and blue one. He will
have his special moments, I’m sure. With quality like he possesses he damn well
should do. But don’t expect a flood of goals or an extravaganza of showboating.
Today, he was not at his predatorial best and yet his movement and link play were highly
instrumental in achieving this good victory. I do hope he scores soon, though. I worry
whether the weight of expectation might begin to drag him down. He got jeered today as you
might have expected, especially when he fluffed the two good chances which came his way.
However, I hope he can content himself with the cog role that he is now playing. It’s
not the stuff of MOTD replays nor is it prime time TV but it is still bloody important.
Stick with it, Ian.
All in all, it was a good weekend. It was the first time we’ve
managed consecutive league away victories in almost three years. Of course, Cambridge and
Oldham could have done more for our cause, but let’s give thanks to Stoke and
Gillingham (still a dangerous adversary) for helping us keep in touch with the top.
Burnley can still get up without the play-offs but we really need to beat Preston next
week. The loss of Mitchell Thomas (suspension) is a huge blow. It is absolutely imperative
that we prevent unnecessary suspensions during this period and hope, too, that we avoid
injuries with important players. What is clear is that this will be a long sprint to the
line. Any dip in form will leave us trailing. It's nerve jangling stuff, especially when
the financial future (i.e. continued viability) of our club rests so much upon its
capacity to win promotion soon. But isn’t it nice to derive our excitement from the
prospect of success rather than from a desperate fight against failure? For that,
let’s give thanks to Stan, Barry and Ray.
Team: Crichton, Little, Cox, Davis,
Thomas, Branch, Cook, Johnrose, Mullin (Jepson 90), Cook, Wright. Subs not used:
Brass, Mellon, Smith, West.
