COLCHESTER UNITED 0-0 COVENTRY CITY BY KEV MONKS
On a ground where many sides have been beaten this season, Coventry City made it four games unbeaten under Iain Dowie with a 0-0 draw at Colchester United.
On a ground where many sides have been beaten this season, Coventry City made it four games unbeaten under Iain Dowie with a 0-0 draw at Colchester United.
We arrived in this town once frequented by Romans and famous for its army barracks and made our way into the smallest ground in the division.
The current home of Colchester comprises of six different stands and offers the visitors a rare choice of standing or seats.
The City support did not quite fill the allocation of just under a thousand but were in good form as an unchanged Sky Blues team took the field.
Colchester, who were without the injured Jonnie Jackson but included Matty Mills on the bench, got the majority of the decisions from referee Mr Stroud. in the opening fifteen minutes.
Hughes,Doyle,Osbourne and Tabb plus Ward and Hawkins at the back were earning their money by stopping Geraint Williams' side from pushing forward.
The problem for City was in the final third. Leon McKenzie again flattered to deceive whilst Dele Adebola battled to no avail.
The Nigerian did win one header in the 20th minute which beat Dean Gerken but was headed away by Wayne Brown inside his six yard box.
That was City's best chance in a tight first half noted for the City support taunting a rather large, hirsute and bearded Colchester fan in the stand to our left with a chorus of "We're gonna buy you a razor"
The second half in terms of entertainment was a lot better.
Sensing that Colchester's 5-1 defeat at Derby had rocked the confidence of a side whose home record was similar to ours last season,City started to pass the ball around and retain the possession.
In the 55th minute,City attacked the end where the City support were housed. The ball was played inside to Stephen Hughes who got into the area and hit a shot which looked like it was flying into the net before Dean Gerken dived and pushed the ball over.
Dele Adebola was injured in a tussle with Chris Barker but continued with a white patch on his right cheek.
He carried on whilst the hapless Leon McKenzie was replaced in the 68th minute by Michael Mifsud much to the delight of the handful of Maltese fans who had come over to see their hero.
The home side started to get dirty with some niggly fouls which went unpunished whilst Jay Tabb joined Michael Doyle in the list of City players cautioned.
In the 76th minute,the home fans in a crowd of 5,453 were calling for Doyle to be dismissed for a shove.
Thankfully,a lecture was all the Irishman received. However,two minutes later, it was the turn of the City supporters to barrack the smallest man of the pitch - Mr Stroud when he waved away penalty appeals after Jay Tabb was upended by Karl Duguid.
"Come On City" was the chant from the Sky Blue support and Adebola went wide with a header from a Hughes cross.
The much improved midfielder stroked wide before Mr Stroud blew the final whistle to earn City a point many of us would have taken before the game.
HT CUFC 0-0 CCFC FT CUFC 0-0 CCFC ATT 5.453
Booked Doyle,Tabb
Team
Marshall,Ward,Hawkins,Hall,Virgo,Hughes,Doyle,Tabb,Osbourne, Adebola,McKenzie (Mifsud 68) SNU Steele,Page,Birchall,Fadiga
Colchester
Gerken.Brown,Watson,Duguid,Cureton,Izzet,Iwelumo,Baldwin,Garcia,Barker,McLeod (Ephram 62) SNU Davison,Guy,Elokobi,Mills