halfaperson
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Colchester Utd (a) 4th April 2009Another soulless box of a stadium greeted us and a jobs worth steward told us there would be a fifteen pound car park charge for the coach. Fuck off you silly **** put it on kens bill was the response.
Got there in good time so it had to be a taxi to the pub since the only chance of a drink nearby was from a puddle in the surrounding waste land. The pub wasn’t letting Leeds fans in but we sneaked in round the side entrance like the pros we are. Inside it was all Essex geezer talk and my request for two pints of ipa turned a few heads. We were ok though even when my White Riot ring tone went off. Decent pub as it happens the Dog n Pheasant.
Then it was into the sun drenched Weston homes stadium.. Leeds fans filled half the east stand to our right and behind the goal where we took our central position. We started defending the goal in front of us. Immediately Sodge announced his presence and intentions by throwing himself spectacularly to intercept some probing early attacks. The distinctly whitened hair of their left winger also announced something. The presence of a little shyster.
Beckford took a customary tumble early on and won a free kick which bade well for some sympathetic refereeing. Colchester still took the early initiative but was helped by some careless passing. One suicide pass from Douglas to Snoddy put us under strain but we rescued the situation with some organized defending. Gradually we got into the game and started causing them some trouble of their own. Beckford was making some great runs for us to hit him with some log balls. He nearly rounded the keeper with a crafty header but the ball ran wide. Colchester were still dangerous though particularly the big no 9 and Casper made a great save at the foot of the post after a neat turn and shot. Naylor then put us in trouble with a headed back pass woefully short. Thankfully an alert Douggy recovered the position.
By now it was turning into a good even game. Delph put a clever chip through into space but it was wasted. We put two consecutive dangerous inswinging corners then Beckford went through on goal only to be given off side but it was enough to put the jitters into Colchester.
Becchio was striving manfully as the target man and was winning his fair share off balls. Unfortunately his final pass to beckford wasn’t cute enough. I’ve said all season there isn’t enough telepathy between them but there was some improvement today.
Colchester then came into it again and Casper again made a great save to deny them when they took advantage of a defensive mix up in our left position. From the corner their player thought he’d do premier league player impressions by placing the call outside the corner quadrant. The resulting delay took the sting out of the pressure and we broke away easily. Delph finished it with an attempted outside foot cross straight to the keeper. We were definitely playing with confidence and patience all over the pitch. One particular move saw the ball go left then back then right before finding Becchio with plenty to do. He spun and turned skillfully to give himself space and hit a cool high finish to put us one nil up.
Now it was Colchesters turn to take the game to us which they tried. Some immense chasing and closing down by our energetic midfield restricted their threat. One long range curler want harmlessly wife but Casper still saw fit to fling himself spectacularly across the goal. “One for the cameras” came the voice from behind.
Kilkenny was floored by a stray elbow and play was held up. Their lad took a booking for it and just after we sent a great free kick in from the right that Becchio headed over. We did weather the storm well slight breeze and continued our hold of the game. Fab put beckford through and full of confidence he tried a first time swing at it only to miss hit it completely. There were very few groans around us though. Half time was beckoning when Sodge of all people clearly and freshly infected by the Leeds utd shoot yesen in the foot virus decided to do a few step-overs on the ball instead of clearing and gave away a corner. Exactly the situation we have been conceding goals all season. The difference is these days is that we can defend a bit better and we were able to clear. In fact we broke with one minute left for Beckford to miss a one on one with the keeper. The ref blew just as he was clear through just after as well.
Half time and suprise suprise on came Ray Crawford and the rest of the 71 team  . This lot can teach Jack Sugden AND Max Clifford a thing or two about milking something. Probably give the entire staff of St Ivels a run for their money as well.
As expected the second half started with renewed purpose from Colchester. The tried to press through the channels and for a while we were pinned back. They had a few free kicks that they fired into the danger zone but the central pair and indeed Casper were able to deal with the danger. Casper seemed eager to get a quick throw out sometimes to Douglas or Delph. One break saw Johnny Douglas go on a streaking run sown the right with a couple of Nutmegs round the defender. It was actually quite comical as well as effective but still in the main they were taking the game to us. This left them a little exposed at the back and we tried to exploit that. It nearly came off but Becchio was quickly adjudged off side when he broke free on to the keeper and Delph tucked in the rebound. Most Leeds fans saw the linesmans flag raised but a few celebrated it as the match winner it certainly would have been.
A little niggle and frustration was creeping into the game by now. The little white haired shit house no 12 confirmed earlier suspicions when he clobbered Fabian off the call clearly trying to bully him out the game. Unfortunately the ref was looking at the action and the linesman was nowhere so it went unpunished. He went down for a while and limped off but was quickly then back into the game taking his own retribution with some darting tackles into him.
There was also an incident in our right back position when I think JD went down after a late challenge which led to a mass handbags scenario. All these hold ups and petty incidents restricted the flow of the game as the referee stared awarding tit for tat free kicks. In previous games we would hav conceded under the momentum of the home teams quest for an equalizer but we seemed to be comfortably dealing with it. So much so the buzz went out of the crowd for a while. The Colchester fans were amazingly quite and the two sections of Leeds fans went into a bit of a lull. Spasmodically interrupted by Shearers taking em down chants as news of the barcodes game filtered through.
Our only threat came from some balls over the top but their big center half was dealing with them quite easily. Beckford again showed his dark side with a little swing of a foot right under the refs nose who saw fit to disregard it. In fact I thought the ref was ok, yeah a little hesitant to punish the Fab offenders but he was consistent to both sides which I always think is fair enough. A little pernickety but he tried to let the game flow but the clumsy challenges and falling down antics were making it difficult for him.
Only Becchio showed strength holding the ball up but even he claimed a penalty when he took a tumble going for a diving header on goal. He could have been held or pushed but you are never going to get a penalty in this league for that kind of thing and he was left forlorn on the ground even after a talking to from the ref.
Robbo came on for Kilkenny and Delph moved into the center but even this didn’t lift us. He quickly got involved in an altercation just in front of us though to liven things up. With him and Snoddy on the wings I thought we would get a second but Snoddy was unusually ineffective. Beckford did get a couple of good chances cutting in from wide left but was unable to beat the keeper, kicking at the post after the second miss in frustration. It was unjustified frustration because providing we kept our shape and discipline there was no way we were going to lose this game.
Dickinson came on for the final few minutes and it was us with his help that kept the pressure off us by keeping the ball deep into the channels. He did make himself room for a shot with some neat control but elected to pass it instead to no avail. The four minutes added time didn’t even cause any concern as our possession took up most of it and the referee brought a perhaps dull second half to an end to keep up the great string of results we have been getting lately. Its no fluke either. Grayson has instilled confidence, discipline, effort, spirit amd energy into the team. Everything Macca couldn’t and by playing the young players many have been screaming out for. The youthfull midfield is not showing any brittleness but is stamping authority and class onto the games, none more so than Kilkenny and Howson.
Sodge and Naylor were immense even though Sodge went down worryingly for treatment but I think that is going to be standard for a player who has seen little action this season especially with his injury record. Most of the players lingered a while in the falling but still bright Essex Sunshine to acknowledge the crowd and we all left to make our separate ways back home North and south. Again there was a strong Southern contingent of Leeds fans which always makes me proud and mystified at the same time. As our coach left we passed many of them giving us the salute as we settled in for the four hour journey home. Not as dreary as you might think, especially with the new snazzy phone equipped with match report writing facilities to get you the low down a little earlier than usual.
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Baldy
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Always love reading your accounts of the day, bloody brilliant as usual.
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raveydavey
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Good write up mate.
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Garp
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Thanks 
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cardboardbox?Youwerelucky
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Quality :thumbsup
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Gopher
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Great report as always Halfa. Shame I couldn`t meet you for a pint or 7 before the game. 
Soon matey, soon. 
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