Layer Road is Falling Down

Duncan Jupp 7;

If Duncan could only learn to pass more consistently to his own team mates there would be no complaints from me as his tackling, positional play and heading ability are as good as anyone's in the team.

CHE WILSON - MOTM - 9; Fantastic performance from the all new goal scoring machine that is Super Cheese. Ran up and down the left touchline as if he owned it, tackled like a demon and took his goal with an aplomb that Freddie would have appreciated. Tilly has made very, very few errors in his young management career but surely he will realise that leaving Che out once he was available again last month was something that he should not repeat.

Adam Barrett 8;

The usual 100%, storming performance from our boy Adam. Worked well with Sodje and snuffed out any chance of Colchester dominance of the air which was there obvious game plan.

Efe Sodje 8:

What I liked here was after the first 10 minutes when he saw that he was going to get little joy from man mountain Iwelumo in the air he didn't attempt just to go macho man to man with him everytime a high ball came over but laid off a few yards and picked up the pieces, or let Adam try his luck! An intelligent performance with no less effort and good old fashioned defending involved. This is the first choice centre pairing for me till May.

Lee Bradbury 8;

A few heads turned around me when Lee's name was mentioned in the right midfield slot, mine included. Then we saw the Colchester team come out and most of them, bar that stroppy short ass up front, chill out mate, were all six foot giants. Tilly and Brush had done there home work once again. All his skill and experience came to play as he closed down the Col U midfield winning every high ball that came his way while still finding time to line up in the attack with his brilliant downward header leading to the opening goal. Close to the man of the match, Bad buy, bow locks.

Luke Guttridge 8;

My heart leaps with joy, my Luke has returned to me. The all round action man performance we had come to expect up to last month was back. Making a general nuisance of himself he broke up many potential promising Col U attacks and turned star play maker Danns into a quivering wreck by the end. (Parkinson really should wake up if he really thinks there was not much difference between the teams, the midfield stood out as the main reason why it was a gulf between the two not a stream.)

Kevin Maher 8;

With Luke back to his best Captain Kev could get back to being at the top of his game, though this was a more defensive performance than usual. Filling that defensive 'hole' position that Sven is finding so tough all his passing skills came to the fore as time after time he gave the forwards, and Che, something to chase placing the Col U defence constantly on the back foot. Even found a few minutes to help them out himself and place the Goats masterful lay off in the corner of the net. As a fellow Shrimper said at half time, "when Che and Kevin score in the same game you just know its going to be your day!"

Mark Gower 7;

The one Southend player I felt was on the peripheral of the game. Some good runs and involved in several passing movements deserved his 7 but did not seem to be as up for it as his colleagues. The ball skills and shooting ability are all there, we saw them again v Rotherham, but needs to show them more over the whole 90 minutes than the small cameos we are getting at the moment.

Shaun Goater 8:

Feed the Goat and he will………..pass it on for someone else to place it in the back of the net. The Goat was another who got his best game back for this most important of matches. (While the Col U team seemed to have left there's at Stamford Bridge, poor right back Halford, as he booted the ball over the stand for the 50^th time, looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but on that pitch with a good 20 minutes left!) Goater will never run all over the place and there will be the odd misplaced pass but his positional play and ability to bring team mates into the game, especially Freddie, (please don't say Freddie's great spell has nothing to do with having the Goat by his side), is why he is held in such esteem by the Man. City faithful. Still a class act.

Freddy Eastwood: 9;

Showed how that silly booking at Chesterfield might have cost us a couple of points v Walsall. Terrific match, scaring the life of the Col U back four everytime he got the ball, or chased for it. (If the linesman had kept his flag down a couple of times in the second half may have added to his tally.) Showed again he can poach a goal as well as smashing 30 yarders, the cash register jumped up another few notches if Ron decides we need the dosh in the summer. Here's hoping though he stays with the club and the management team who have helped him reach his present level especially if it's the Championship football we are now just six wins away from. (Sounds easy when you write it down like that!)

SUBS:

James Lawson 6; Did what he had to do as the Goat came off with 8 minutes left.

Franc Moussa 6; Gets a 6 for just making sure Luke came off without a booking after four successive ones and a two match suspended tenth!

(Articles reprinted from TLG, Adam Duffill and Chris Daniels, March 4/6 2006.)