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Here we go then, probably the match that U’s fans were most looking forward to when the fixture list was announced – away at Planet Hollywood, managed by no other than Phil Parkinson. With the money they have behind them, I doubt anyone is surprised that Wrexham are up the top challenging for back to back promotions, despite their somewhat ropey start to the season. As for the U’s, given recent seasons, is anyone surprised we’re currently one place outside the relegation zone? We should be surprised, but are we really? On any other day, today’s game would be seen as a bit of a free hit – no one really expecting we’ll get anything from the game – but given recent results, I suspect there’s far more riding on this game than an opportunity for points and a chance to bloody the nose of promotion contenders. Knowing the U’s, we’ll probably go on and win this one…
My world outside U’s World My social media feeds this morning were full of messages from young and old, parents and children, no less than three CUSA coaches and so on, all setting off on their long journey to North Wales to support the U’s. That’s what real support is like, hundreds and hundreds of the U’s Faithful making the effort despite our current plight. Not the artificially elevated fan base of glory-hunters attracted like moths to Hollywood’s latest plaything, but battle-scarred veterans and kids alike turning up week in week out for their club.
And I would have been one of them too, but family duties had to take precedent, not that I bemoan that, so this morning I settled down to write my customary blog before following the game on the den of dubious delights that is iFollow. That is until Alfie’s planned train to Frome to meet up with college friends was caught up in delays, meaning the Dad taxi had to step in and run him to Bath for his connection, which he would have missed otherwise. It’s 1pm now, and I’ve just got back, so today’s blog is going to have to be seriously abridged if I’m to post before the 3pm kick-off.
U’s World Leaving our current state of affairs to one side, I think the only two things I want to focus on today is Samson Tovide and Arthur Read. Samson, the player that’s battered and pulled around probably more than any other player in the league, has finally succumbed to an injury picked up in our dismal performance against Crawley, and looks to be out for 2-3 months with torn ankle ligaments. It is was it is, and it is clearly an opportunity for others, particularly Brad Ihionvien, to stake their claim for a starting XI position. Sometimes we bemoan Samson’s tendency to go to ground too easily, which I’m convinced is a factor in referees not always giving him the protection he deserves, but we’ll miss his strength up front, and his goals too, so I can only hope his recovery is swift.
As for Arthur, apart from already being nailed on as our Player of the Year at this moment, he’s picked up the Sky Bet November Goal of the Season award, as featured in last weeks’ blog. Also, the second month in a row that a U’s player has won the award, following on from Chay Cooper for October. On his strike, Sky Bet panel judge Don Goodman said “Arthur Read’s strike was the best of the lot. He had the Sutton defence scrambling as he turned left and right, before calmly finishing into the bottom corner. He had so much to do when he received the ball, beautiful goal”.
Match of the Day Colchester United v Stockport County 2nd March 2004 Nationwide Football League Division 2 (Tier 3) Attendance 2,513
Match of the Day for KMB16, and the random memorabilia match selector has actually chosen Issue 8 of Daniel’sThe U’sual for March 2004, so I’ve gone for our first match of that month, our home game against Stockport County. It was a Tuesday evening kick-off, and of course I wasn’t there for the match itself, so I’m reliant on online reporting for this one.
The coincidences of the match selection are noteworthy by the way – not only are Stockport County currently duking it out with today’s opponents Wrexham at the top of League 2, after doing the same in the National League last season, but our manager back in 2004 was of course Phil Parkinson, who we’ll meet again at the Racecourse today.
2003/04 was Parky’s first full season in charge at Layer Road, and after a faltering start by Christmas had lifted the U’s up into the play-offs. However, extended cup runs in both the FA Cup (the U’sual cover photo is of our magnificent support at Sheffield United in the FA Cup 5th round) and Football League Trophy (dumped out by Southend in the Area final) were taking their toll, and with just one league win in all of January and February, we’d slipped back into midtable. This wasn’t helped by our match the previous Saturday at Chesterfield being postponed (we’d win the rearranged fixture 2-1 at Saltergate later in March).
There were two absences from the squad going into the game, Craig Fagan was serving a two-match suspension for too many bookings, and Joe Keith was out with an infection. As a result, and to get our promotion bid back on track, Parky’s U’s lined up:
31..Richard McKinney 22..Greg Halford 19..Alan White 27..Wayne Brown 18..Liam Chilvers 7….Karl Duguid (17. Bobby Bowry 75’) 6….Thomas Pinault 10..Kem Izzet 16..Rowan Vine 9….Scott McGleish (4. Gavin Johnson 68’) 8….Wayne Andrews
Stockport County had a terrible start to the season, ending with Carlton Palmer getting sacked as manager in September. Following the end of Northern Ireland’s Euro 2004 campaign manager Sammy McIlroy took up the vacant position in October, but even his influence hadn’t managed to get Stockport out of the mire, and they sat second from bottom going into this game. Mind you, with a player of Rickie Lambert’s quality in their side, there weren’t to be underestimated.
And so it proved, as right from the start Stockport took the game to the U’s and dominated the game. Jon Daly volleyed narrowly wide after just three minutes, with McKinney beaten, and thereafter Lambert took over. In a sensational move considering the level, Stockport paid Macclesfield £300,000 for Lambert a year earlier, and whilst that season had been a bit of a flop, he was beginning to find his shooting boots this season.
Time and time again during the first half Lambert either managed to shoot narrowly wide or bring out the best in McKinney, with the U’s seemingly completely incapable of dealing with his threat. Quite how we managed to get to half-time still at 0-0 is anyone’s guess, but we did. The Layer Road faithful had to hope that a bit of the Parkinson hair dryer would wake the U’s up at the interval.
Whether it did or not was moot, because 25 seconds into the second half the U’s were behind. Virtually straight from kick off, a terrible back pass from Scott McGleish left Alan White and Greg Halford exposed, and that man Lambert was happy to take advantage and slid a low shot under the advancing McKinney and into the net. It was nothing more than the visitors deserved, the question was could the U’s sufficiently up their work rate to get back into the game?
Fortunately, yes. Barely five minutes later the U’s won a corner on the right and thinking quickly Doogie pulled the corner back to the lurking Rowan Vine, who blasted a rising shot into the Layer Road end net from outside the box. Finally finding their rhythm, the U’s didn’t let up and on the hour mark were in the lead. McGleish seemed to running down a dead end on the wing, but somehow managed to hook the ball back across goal. Stockport keeper Anthony Williams could only palm the cross out, but straight into the path of Wayne Andrews, who made no mistake with a rasping unstoppable strike.
With our noses in front, the U’s finally found the resolve to cope with Lambert’s threat and hold out for a morale-boosting, albeit somewhat unconvincing at times, victory.
Colchester United 2 (Vine 50’; Andrews 60’) Stockport County 1 (Lambert 46’)
Mind you, the victory came at a price, with both Scott McGleish (in the 68th minute) and new captain Karl Duguid (75th minute) taken off injured with identical knee injuries. Both would miss the next month or so, during which the U’s couldn’t find a win for love nor money, apart from that rearranged game at Chesterfield.
Although we had a pretty decent run from late March through to the end of the season, losing just twice and winning five, it wasn’t enough to scrape back into the play-offs. We finished 11th, nine points off the play-offs, but as a first season in charge for Parky, most looked on it as a very promising start, and hopefully a sign of better times to come.
Stockport, by the way, did eventually drag themselves two points clear of relegation, but with just 14 wins under his belt, Sammy McIlroy was released in November of the following season – a season which would see the Hatters relegated on just 26 points.
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