22nd April 2023
Colchester United vs Sutton United @ Colchester United Community Stadium - Colchester
EFL League Two
15:00 KO
£20.50 entry (includes a free programme)
Attendance - 3,851 (275 away fans)
Half-time score: Colchester United 3-1 Sutton United
Goals:
Sutton United: Ajiboye - 11'
Colchester United: Chambers - 19'
Colchester United: Akinde - 27'
Colchester United: Tchamadeu - 41'
Colchester United: Chilvers - 63'
Brief match highlights are on YouTube, see link below:
Final Score: Colchester United 4-1 Sutton United
A huge game for Col U today, with three games to go before the start of the day, and being 7 points clear of the drop zone, a win against Sutton was to guarantee safety, with a draw all but confirming it too. To add to the mix, if Hartlepool United were to lose, Colchester would also be spending another season in the EFL, so I was hoping for a celebration this afternoon, although wary, as the final two games after this one are tough, away at Doncaster Rovers, followed by a home game against play-off chasing Mansfield Town, so the importance of todays game could not be underestimated, and you cannot rely on your opposition failing!
Since I last watch the U's, Bloomfield left to go to Wycombe Wanderers, and we have had Ben Garner in charge, where he has built a 7 game streak without defeat, although only 2 of these were wins. Even so, I was looking forward to seeing if the U's played any differently under the new gaffer.
As usual, I went to the Park & Ride, walked over the A12, and straight to the club shop to pick up a complimentary programme, with my favourite player Noah Chilvers on the front cover, and Marley Marshall-Miranda on the mid-programme spread.
It was a pleasant sunny spring afternoon, absolutely perfect for football. Col U were in their blue and white stripes, and Sutton United played in their away black strip, with yellow accents.
KEY MOMENTS
CU = Colchester United
SU = Sutton United
11' - SU - GOAL (0-1) - A hooked clearance releases Boldewijn down the left flank, he takes the ball to the edge of the box and slides in Wilson, he takes a touch to create the space for the shot, he fires across Tom Smith who parries the ball away, but it goes straight to Ajiboye who blasts it into the gapping net from close range, not the start that the U's were looking for!
19' - CU - GOAL (1-1) - A Read corner is swung into the near post, it is flicked on to captain Chambers at the near-post, who bundles the ball in from close range, a quick response from the U's.
27' - CU - GOAL (2-1) - Some great down the left from Col U, Ossama Ashley sees the run down the flank by Hall and plays him through, he whips the ball into the box with his first touch, defender Goodliffe heads the ball down, and on the bounce Akinde pounces on it and hits a right-footed volley into the top right corner of the goal, a wonderful finish from the big man!
40' - SU - Wilson lets rip from just outside the box, his deflected shot curls in towards the goal, but hits the corner of the upright and out for a corner.
41' - CU - GOAL (3-1) - Kelleher hooks the ball forwards towards Tovide, he takes a fantastic touch to take the ball round the defender and bursts down the right, he cuts into the box and hits a strike across keeper Rose, he gets down well but parries the ball straight into the path of Tchamadeu who had supported the run well, and calmly side-foots the ball into the net. Very reminiscent of the Sutton goal, and the two-goal lead sends the Col U fans wild!
45'+2 - CU - Somehow Akinde bullies his way into a great position, he crosses the ball, it is blocked but falls straight back to him, he lashes the ball in towards goal, and from a tight angle it smashes into the post and out, so close to a 4th just before the break!
63' - CU - GOAL (4-1) - Akinde heads a Tom Smith goal kick on for Tovide to chase, he gets between two defenders to win the ball in the box, but seeing the striking angle narrow, he backheels the ball to Chilvers, who expertly strikes the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal from the centre of the box, surely the three points, and EFL safety have now been secured!
Despite the nervy start, and conceding an early goal, that has to be the best Col U performance I have seen in a long while, hard-working, battling, clinical and accurate, as they secured an emphatic win, sealing their place in the EFL for another season! There was a real party atmosphere in the ground, the crowd was full of smiles, and watching the team was a joy, Garner seems to be doing great things with what has always been a decent squad on paper. Ossama Ashley is looking a vital player in the lynchpin CDM role, Tovide and Akinde linked up brilliantly and tormented the Sutton back line all game, Chilvers was a maestro in the AM roll, Hall was imperious at he back, Read was industrious in the middle of the park and Tchamadeu was blistering in his new more advanced roll down the left wing, and the rest of the squad also playing their part. I feel like Garner is getting the best out of this squad, and if this form continues, and we can keep the key players and strengthen further over the summer, this has to be the basis of a team that should be targeting play-offs in the 23/24 season. Next week I travel up to Doncaster to watch the U's away, and with the pressure off, it should be a brilliant game to savour, with a beautiful hotel on the coast to travel to after the game. I am gutted I will be missing the Thetford Town play-off game, but sadly I booked this a few weeks ago as a much needed get away with my wife, importantly with no kids! I hope the U's don't make me regret this too much, but having clinched safety with a barnstorming performance, all that is left to say is, UP THE U'S, UP THE U'S, UP THE GOOD OL' WHITE AND BLUES!!!
Line-Ups:
COLCHESTER UNITED: Tom Smith, Luke Chambers (C), Fiacre Kelleher, Connor Hall, Will Greenidge, Ossama Ashley, Arthur Read, Junior Tchamadeu, Noah Chilvers, John Akinde, Samson Tovide. SUBS: Tom Dallison, Alex Newby, Matt Jay, Tom Hopper, Jayden Fevrier, Kieran O'Hara, Marley Miranda-Marshall.
SUTTON UNITED: Jack Rose, Robert Milsom, Coby Rowe, Ben Goodliffe, Joe Kizzi, Enzio Boldewijn, Harry Beautyman, Alistair Smith, David Ajiboye, Donovan Wilson, Omar Bugiel. SUBS: Josh Neufville, Lee Angol, Sam Hart, Brad House, Craig Dundas, Luke Gambin, Kylian Kouassi
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