TLG Stat-Pack – Colchester United form

Last updated : 28 September 2004 By Robert Craven

Saturday 25th September 2004 - Coca-Cola League One

Oldham Athletic 1 Colchester United 1

Greg Halford netted the U's equaliser
Colchester United: Aidan Davidson; Greg Halford, Pat Baldwin, Wayne Brown, Kevin Watson; Gavin Johnson (Bobby Bowry 80), Stephen Hunt, Neil Danns, Joe Keith; Ben May (Gareth Williams 89), Richard Garcia. Subs not used: Dean Gerken, Richard Cade, John White.

Goal: Halford 56

Bookings: Baldwin, Danns, Garcia

Sent Off: none

Attendance: 5166


Match Report (from www.colchesterutd-mad.co.uk):


“Oldham and Colchester served up a disappointing 1-1 draw at Boundary Park going into the game on the back of mixed Carling Cup fortunes in midweek.


Oldham went into the game after a 6-0 drubbing against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night, while Colchester were full of beans after knocking out Premiership West Brom, 24 hours earlier.


But back in the surrounding of Coca-Cola League One they cancelled each other out with goals from David Eyres and Greg Halford.


Oldham's Eyres stuck the first blow as his side dominated most of the first half but it was a different story after the break as Colchester came out fighting. And Halford's header earned the point which keep Colchester in the thick of things near the top of the table.


Oldham could have gone ahead after seven minutes when New Zealand international striker Chris Killen played a good ball to Eyres in the box but saw him fire his shot beyond the far post from 12 yards.


Dean Holden had a shot blocked by frantic Colchester defending before Eyres and John Eyre both tested visiting keeper Aidan Davison with shots from distance.


It was no surprise when the Latics went in front on 22 minutes after winning a free kick 35 yards out.


Eyre, now aged 40, showed there is no barrier to his quality by smashing his left foot shot past Davison and inside the post for his fourth goal of the season.


Oldham defender Will Haining headed wide as Colchester faced more pressure but the second half saw the tables turned.


Kevin Watson sent in a corner from the left-hand side and Halford climbed to flick his header inside the far post from eight yards.


Another Watson corner was also met by Halford but this time the ball was bundled by Oldham substitute Matty Appleby.


The game began to drift and the only chance for a winner came late on when Oldham's Jermaine Johnson dashed in the box but had his 12-yard shot parried by the keeper.”


Tuesday 21st September 2004 – Carling Cup Second Round

Colchester United 2 West Bromwich Albion 1 (aet)

Liam Chilvers was replaced by Halford as Parkinson looked for Cup success
Colchester United: Aidan Davidson; Liam Chilvers (Greg Halford 59), Pat Baldwin, Wayne Brown, Kevin Watson; Gareth Williams (Bobby Bowry 91), Stephen Hunt, Neil Danns, Joe Keith; Craig Fagan (Ben May 73), Richard Garcia. Subs not used: Dean Gerken, Richard Cade.

Goals: Fagan 29, May 118

Booked: Fagan

Sent Off: none

Attendance: 4591


Match Report (from www.colchesterutd-mad.co.uk):


“Super substitute Ben May conjured up a last-gasp winner in extra time to send Colchester United into the third round of the Carling Cup at the expense of fallen giants West Brom.


It was no more than League One side Colchester deserved for a dominant display and it was a match that they could have won in normal time.


Premiership outfit West Brom were second best for virtually the whole night apart from a brief period in the second half when Geoff Horsfield drilled home to equalise out of the blue.


But the Baggies could not get themselves out of jail and May, on loan from Millwall, came up trumps with the winner in the 118th minute.


Australian Richard Garcia rose high to meet Joe Keith's corner with a header that was blocked on the line by West Brom midfielder Lloyd Dyer.


But striker May lunged in bravely to stab home the loose ball from close range to net his second goal for the Essex club.


The Layer Road crowd went wild and Colchester held on for the last three minutes of extra time to record an historic victory.


Earlier, Craig Fagan had broken the deadlock with a marvellous finish in the 29th minute.


It was a great move involving Gareth Williams and Fagan had time to turn and send a rising shot into the roof of the net from just inside the box.


It was Fagan's sixth goal of the season and it was extra special because earlier in his career he had turned down a chance to sign with West Brom. He chose deadly rivals Birmingham instead.


United could have added to their tally before the break and Garcia should have scored a second goal when blazing over with an empty net beckoning after keeper Tomasz Kuszczak could only parry a shot from Neil Danns.


Against the run of play West Brom grabbed the equaliser when Horsfield sprung the Colchester offside trap to run on to Thomas Gaardsoe's pass and beat keeper Aiden Davison.


There was more than a hint of offside but the assistant referee kept his flag down.


Colchester came back strongly and were the beater team again in extra time.


Keith peppered the target with three shots but in the end it was May, on as a second half substitute, who came up with the winner.”


Saturday 11th September 2004 – Coca-Cola League One

Colchester United 0 Milton Keynes Dons 1

Striker Craig Fagan has picked up nearly as many bookings as goals in 2004/5
Colchester United: Aidan Davidson; Liam Chilvers, Greg Halford, Wayne Brown, Kevin Watson; Gareth Williams, Stephen Hunt (Ben May 71), Neil Danns (Dean Bowditch 75), Joe Keith; Craig Fagan, Richard Garcia. Subs not used: Dean Gerken, Pat Baldwin, John White.

Goals: none

Booked: Fagan

Sent Off: none

Attendance: 3460


Match Report (from www.colchesterutd-mad.co.uk):


“Izale McLeod grabbed the winner as Milton Keynes Dons registered their first away league win of the season at the expense of high flying Colchester United.


The Essex hosts had played some dazzling football to win at Bournemouth the previous weekend but they could not repeat the performance on a day when they were second best to the Dons. In fact, McLeod could have bagged a hat-trick as he teased the Colchester defence all day.


His strike-force partner Allan Smart had squandered a great chance to break the deadlock in the first half; McLeod committed both Colchester centre halves Wayne Brown and Liam Chilvers inside the box before the ball broke to Smart. The 30-year-old looked certain to score, but he snatched at the shot and the ball ballooned wide.


However, the Dons did take the lead into the dressing room at half time when McLeod lashed home from close range in the third minute of stoppage time. Ben Chorley nodded on a cross and there was an unmarked McLeod to smash home the loose ball from inside the six-yard box.


Colchester's best chance fell to Gareth Williams, and that arrived very early on in the game when he was denied twice at point blank range by keeper Scott Bevan who had a marvellous afternoon.


If anything, Colchester faded even more in the second and McLeod could have added to his tally.


McLeod was thwarted by keeper Aidan Davison and he also missed the target from a couple of one on one situations after beating home skipper Wayne Brown for pace. However, McLeod's loan strike which was his fourth goal of the season proved enough to bag the points.


Craig Fagan, with five goals to his name this season came closest to an equalizer when he volleyed inches wide in the second half following a cross from Joe Keith.”


Saturday 11th September 2004 – Coca-Cola League One

AFC Bournemouth 1 Colchester United 3

Sam Stockley put through his own goal at Dean Court
Colchester United: Aidan Davidson; Liam Chilvers, Greg Halford (Pat Baldwin 90), Wayne Brown, Kevin Watson; Gareth Williams, Sam Stockley, Neil Danns (Dean Bowditch 90), Joe Keith; Craig Fagan, Ben May (69). Subs not used: Dean Gerken, Stephen Hunt.

Goals: Fagan 10, Williams 24, May 79

Bookings: Chilvers, Danns, Stockley

Sent Off: none

Attendance: 5944


Match Report (from www.colchesterutd-mad.co.uk):


“Striker Craig Fagan scored one goal and made another to inspire Colchester to their second away win of the season and condemn Bournemouth to a third successive defeat.


Fagan wasted no time in putting Phil Parkinson's side in control with his fifth goal of the season before setting strike partner Gareth Williams up for the second soon after.


Bournemouth were given some hope when Colchester defender Sam Stockley put through his own goal with 15 minutes remaining but substitute Ben May soon restored the two-goal advantage with a fine header into the top right-hand corner.


Fagan had already gone close to opening the scoring with an audacious 50-yard lob that narrowly cleared the crossbar in the fifth minute when he succeeded just five minutes later.


The striker, who caused all sorts of problems for Bournemouth's defence throughout the 90 minutes, spotted goalkeeper Neil Moss off his line and had no trouble in lofting the ball over him and into the empty goal from the right-hand edge of the penalty area.


Bournemouth midfielder Gareth O'Connor was inches away from equalising just a minute later when his 20-yard shot scraped the left-hand post before going wide but the home side found themselves two goals behind on 23 minutes.


Williams raced down the left before cutting infield and finding Fagan on the right-hand wing. The striker had no trouble in picking his spot before delivering a pinpoint cross for Williams to plant an unstoppable header past Moss from eight yards out.


Fagan almost created a third for Colchester in first-half stoppage time when he set up on-loan Blackburn midfielder Neil Danns but Bournemouth defender Shaun Maher flung himself at full-length to divert his shot for a corner.


Bournemouth midfielder John Spicer, making his debut after joining on loan from Arsenal, thought he had succeeded in pulling a goal back five minutes after the re-start but his 20-yard chip crashed against the underside of the crossbar allowing Colchester to clear to safety.


But Stockley gave the Cherries some hope on 75 minutes when he could only slide the ball past his own goalkeeper, Aidan Davison, following a fine ball in from the left from Warren Cummings.


Bournemouth pressed forward in search of the equaliser but Colchester broke down the other end with May who gave Moss no chance with a 79th minute header from 12 yards just ten minutes after coming on as a substitute for Richard Garcia.”


Saturday 4th September 2004 – Coca-Cola League One

Colchester United 0 Swindon Town 1

John White is another one of Colchester's promising youngsters
Colchester United: Aidan Davidson; Liam Chilvers, Greg Halford, Wayne Brown, Kevin Watson; Ben May (Gareth Williams 61), Sam Stockley, John White (Richard Cade 71), Joe Keith; Craig Fagan, Richard Garcia (Stephen Hunt 61). Subs not used: Dean Gerken, Pat Baldwin.

Goals: none

Booked: Fagan

Sent Off: none

Attendance: 3868


Match Report (from www.colchesterutd-mad.co.uk):


“An early strike from lethal goalscorer Sam Parkin earned Swindon Town a gritty win at Colchester United.


Parkin stooped to head home David Duke's cross from the left after only seven minutes to register his fourth goal of the season.


It was just rewards for a bright start by the Wiltshire visitors, although they rode their luck as Colchester searched for an equaliser during a frantic second half.


Colchester handed a debut to their new signing Richard Garcia who moved from West Ham on a permanent contract just 24 hours earlier.


Australian Under-23 international Garcia, who was actually celebrating his 23rd birthday, was as close as any to conjuring up an equaliser for his new club.


One such moment arrived after 56 minutes when Garcia rounded off a strong run with a deep cross that deceived keeper Rhys Evans. The ball dropped into the six-yard box but Craig Fagan arrived just too late to intervene.


Colchester had sold their star striker Wayne Andrews to Crystal Palace in midweek and they certainly missed his electric pace upfront.


The hosts hurled long throws and delivered countless crosses into the box but more often then not those loose balls didn't fall kindly.


United stepped up the pressure in the second half but there passing often let them down and it was Swindon who came closest to the goal.


This was Colchester's first home defeat of the season following four straight successes at Layer Road.


Summary – the Shrimpers vs. the U’s

(Last Five Matches)

Southend United

W1-0 (home; Kidderminster Harriers; League Two; Mark Gower)

W2-1 (away; Notts County; League Two, Adam Barrett 2)

L1-2 (home; League Two; Wycombe Wanderers; Mark Bentley)

W4-1 (away; Rushden & Diamonds; League Two; Lawrie Dudfield 2 [1p], Tesfaye Bramble, David Bell [o.g.])

W2-1 (home; Macclesfield Town; League Two; Adam Barrett 2)


(Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 1, Scored 10, Conceded 5)


Colchester United

D1-1 (away; Oldham Athletic; League One; Greg Halford)

W2-1 [aet] (home; West Bromwich Albion; Carling Cup; Craig Fagan, Ben May)

L0-1 (home; Milton Keynes Dons; League One)

W3-1 (away; AFC Bournemouth; League One; Craig Fagan, Gareth Williams, Ben May)

L0-1 (home; Swindon Town; League One)

(Won 2, Drawn 1, Lost 2, Scored 6, Conceded 5)


Summary – the Shrimpers vs. the U’s

(Blues away and Col U at home)

Southend United away

W2-1 (League Two; Notts County; Adam Barrett 2)

W4-1 (League Two; Rushden & Diamonds; Lawrie Dudfield 2, Tesfaye Bramble, David Bell [o.g.])

L1-2 (League Two; Bristol Rovers; Adam Barrett)

L0-2 (Carling Cup; West Ham United)

L0-2 (League Two; Rochdale)


(Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 3, Scored 7, Conceded 8)


Colchester United home

W2-1 (Carling Cup; West Bromwich Albion; Craig Fagan, Ben May)

L0-1 (League One; Milton Keynes Dons)

L0-1 (League One; Swindon Town)

W4-1 (League One; Doncaster Rovers; Craig Fagan, Gavin Johnson, Greg Halford, Joe Keith)

W2-1 (Carling Cup; Cheltenham Town; Craig Fagan, Gavin Johnson)


(Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 2, Scored 8, Conceded 5)


Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com