The U’sual Ramblings #33 and following a battling point away at Creepy Crawley, the U’s are on the brink of League 2 survival, only needing to match whatever Hartlepool do at home to the aforementioned Creepies to ensure league football next season (though hindsight will probably show we were safe on Easter Monday after the demolition of Crewe). Mathematical safety with only two games to go is hardly something to crow about I grant you, but given we’re on a seven game unbeaten run, three clean sheets in a row and proving ourselves a very difficult team to beat, it bodes well under Ben Garner’s guidance for next season. Whisper it, but with today’s opponents 22nd in the League 2 form table, and next Saturday’s opponents Doncaster Rovers rock bottom in 24th place, two more victories might even see Ben nominated for the Manager of the Month award?
COME ON!
© Colchester United Football Club
The world outside U’s World
On the domestic front, Deputy Prime Minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab has been forced to resign as a result of an ongoing investigation into bullying under his leadership. Raab is the third departure from Rishi Sunak’s government in just the six months that Sunak has held office. Ministerial sackings and resignations from government used to be a rarity in UK politics, even as far back as Mrs Thatcher’s days as Prime Minister, but since the Tories came to power in 2010 there have been a staggering 39 ministers, including four prime ministers, who have either been sacked, resigned on principle because of the direction of their party, or resigned in disgrace. Quite how Kier Starmer is failing to capitalise on this baffles me.
On the subject of sackings in disgrace, former head of the Confederation of British Industry, Tony Danker, admits his reputation “has been totally destroyed” following strong allegations of sexual misconduct at the CBI from more than a dozen women, including alleged rape. The allegations have resulted in an exodus of businesses from the CBI, including John Lewis and NatWest, and forced the CBI to suspend its operations whilst the claims are investigated. The Telegraph chief city commentator reported yesterday that businesses and corporations should have “abandoned the toxic CBI weeks ago”.
The Dominion Voting System defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and Fox News has ended before it began, after Fox settled the civil action. The claim by Dominion was for $1.6 billion, with the agreed settlement awarding Dominion a staggering $787.5 million, one of the largest value civil lawsuits in the US. As is always the case when settlements are reached, Fox avoided a requirement to apologise for their actions, or indeed even admit they did anything wrong, and instead issued a typically mealy-mouthed statement, including “we acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects Fox’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards”. It should be noted that in a major pretrial hearing at the end of March, Judge Eric Davis had already ruled that Dominion had successfully proven that all 20 statements mentioned in its lawsuit were false.
However, Fox are not out of hot water yet, as Smartmatic have also launched their own lawsuit against Fox, this one for $2.6 billion. This case is still at the discovery stage and is likely to go to trial in 2025.
Believed to be the longest sentences handed down for peaceful climate protest, a Kent judge has imprisoned two men, Morgan Trowland (40) and Marcus Decker (34), who scaled the Dartford Crossing QE2 bridge using climbing equipment. The Just Stop Oil protesters were sentenced to three years and two years and seven months imprisonment respectively. Their actions brought traffic to a standstill at the crossing in October last year, causing gridlock on the M25 and adjoining highways in the area.
U’s World
Here we are then, three games to go and the U’s seemingly on the brink of League 2 survival (fingers-crossed). So, who will be the new kids on the block next season? Remarkably, very few promotions or relegations have so far been confirmed.
League 1
Our vegan friends Forest Green Rovers are definitely relegated from League 1, but it could be any three from the remaining bottom six or seven who join them. Quite a few have games in hand, but even though that applies to Accrington Stanley, they’re in freefall and I can’t see them avoiding the drop. Despite losing their last match, local rivals Cambridge United have turned things around in recent games, and I can see them escaping relegation, but not I fear Morecambe, particularly as they don’t have a game in hand. As for the fourth, my tip is Oxford United with only four points from the last 15 (and hopefully good news for our very own oxfcolu).
League 2
We all know Leyton Orient secured promotion despite losing 2-0 at Gillingham (including a black-out), and I fully expect them to get the title too. A shame that a trip to Brisbane Road will be off the agenda for at least a season, but given I was there on the day they were relegated from the Football League, I’m genuinely pleased for them.
I’m pretty certain that Northampton Town and Stevenage will just about hold on to the other two automatic promotion places too, which is likewise a shame as far as decent awaydays for the U’s faithful are concerned (and no one wants to see Steve Evans succeed, albeit Boro have a tricky visit to Mansfield today).
With a game in hand don’t be surprised if the aforementioned Mansfield overtake Salford City to join Stockport County, Carlisle United and Bradford in the play-offs, though they’ll have to get past a resurgent U’s on the coronation Bank Holiday to do so. Given the play-offs are a lottery, I’ll go safe and predict Stockport County as the play-off winners.
At the bottom, Rochdale are almost certainly doomed, with one of either Hartlepool or Crawley Town joining them. Everything really rides on their game against each other today, and with momentum in their favour, I can see Crawley winning that one (guaranteeing our survival in the process, however we get on against Sutton United), and almost certainly condemning Hartlepool United to the National League.
Sorry Jeff
National League
A win today at home to Boreham Wood will confirm Wrexham as both promoted and champions, and I can’t see that not happening. I also can’t see the current play-off contenders Notts County, Chesterfield, Woking, Barnet, Boreham Wood or Bromley from changing either. 8th place Eastleigh are in free-fall, and despite a spirited recent push, dear friends Southend United will come up short. It would be a brave (foolhardy?) person to predict anyone but Notts County, already 22 points ahead of 3rd place Chesterfield, winning the play-offs, but I’m going to be that person. It’ll be Chesterfield for me, so Come On You Spireites!
In other news, following the Season Ticket forum last week, it’s great to see the club (finally) actively engaging with and promoting Club United. I suspect the bubble has burst for the two active proposals, but there are others in the pipeline (including the seat design), so hopefully before too long something gets over the line. There has been much criticism about the apparent lack of connection between the club and supporters in recent years (more or less since Matt Hudson left), so if nothing else it is great to see some of that connectivity being restored.
Although it almost slipped by unnoticed, Thursday was the 26th anniversary of our Auto Windscreens Shield Final at Wembley, where we faced Carlisle United. We all know the result, with penalty shoot-out misses from Karl Duguid and Peter Cawley handing the trophy to the otherwise undeserving Cumbrians, but it was still a fantastic day out for the club and supporters alike. I personally was reminded when good friend and Swedish Branch member Martin posted an ‘On this Day’ update on his Facebook page, but more on that later.
Stat attack
If you thought our stats against Salford City were somewhat thin on the ground, against Sutton United they’re even thinner, and they don’t make good reading either. Apart from Ian Atkins’ U’s doing the double over t’other U’s in our first Conference season, Sutton have won every single other bloody game.
These include three times in the league, once in the 3rd round of the EFL Trophy, and once in the 2nd round of the Bob Lord Trophy (pfft!). Of course they are also members of the hardly exclusive group of non-league sides to knock us out of the FA Cup, when Roy McDonough’s U’s were kicked out in the first round in 1993, losing 4-3 at Layer Road.
That’s it really, nothing more to say other than we owe them big time.
Match of the Day
AFC Bournemouth v Colchester United
2nd April 2002
Nationwide Football League Second Division (Tier 3)
Attendance 5,908
So, in addition to Martin’s Facebook feed reminding me that we were both at Wembley 26 years ago on Thursday, by coincidence my own Facebook page reminded me that nine years ago yesterday we were all (including Paul Anderson) at Crewe together.
This got me thinking about our Swedish Branch. I’d obviously been aware of their existence for many years, and undoubtedly been to many of the same games as them (including Carlisle at Wembley) without ever knowingly bumping into them. So I thought I’d go back to the very first occasion we met, on a cold Tuesday evening down at Bournemouth back in 2002.
My only memorabilia entry is courtesy of a calendar entry. I can’t for the life of me remember quite why Em had a 3.30pm doctor’s appointment, why it needed spectacular highlighting and underlining, but clearly what ever it was, it didn’t stop me heading down to Bournemouth to follow the U’s. Although Bournemouth is relatively close to Salisbury, it’s actually a bit of a ball-ache to get to by train, effectively requiring travelling the same distance in the wrong direction to a change at Southampton, and then back to Bournemouth (actually the Pokesdown stop) from there. But, if I wanted to have a few beers and have access to a much-needed toilet as a result, it was the only option.
This was the U’s fourth consecutive season in the third tier of the Football League, at that time equalling our record. However, after a bright opening, it had settled down into a tough season, with the post-Christmas period particularly bleak with only three wins so far in 2002. Bournemouth were faring even worse and with only a handful of games to go desperately needed all three points in their bid to avoid relegation. This was quite a comedown for the Cherries, given they’d only just missed out on the play-offs the previous season.
After a few on the train, and another couple in the Queens Park (when they still allowed away fans in), I took my place amongst about another 150 or so U’s fans — unknowingly to me at the time, including our Swedes Martin and Paul.
After a brief spell as caretaker between Wignall and Wadsworth, Steve Whitton had been in charge of the U’s since August 1999, and has to be credited for laying the foundations of our eventual success at this level. That evening, his team lined up:
1….Simon Brown
3….Joe Keith
7….Karl Duguid
6….Con Blatsis
12..Scott Fitzgerald
20..Micky Stockwell (19. Alan White 66’)
10..Kem Izzet
15..Thomas Pinault
17..Bobby Bowry
9….Scott McGleish (28. Adrian Coote 86’)
21..Kevin Rapley
Despite their relatively lowly position, AFC Bournemouth, then managed by Sean O’Driscoll (last reported back in December 2021 in an unspecified backroom role at National League South side Weymouth), were still not to be underestimated. With players of the quality of Shaun Maher, Carl Fletcher, James Hayter and Warren Feeney in their starting line-up, there was no doubt it was going to be a tough evening.
Quite how tough I’m sure none of us in blue and white could have envisioned beforehand, with the Cherries at the U’s right from the start. Unable to get their foot on the ball for extended periods, and when we did, coughing up possession almost immediately, just gave Bournemouth the impetus they needed to batter the U’s.
To be fair, although our midfield and attack were largely spectators, the back four and Simon Brown in particular, were battling like Trojans. Bournemouth weren’t helped by a forced substitution just after the half hour mark, bringing on Stephen Cooke to replace the injured Richard Hughes, but still they kept the U’s pegged back in our own half. Quite how it remained 0-0 at half-time was beyond me, but somehow it did.
The collective hope of the faithful as the second half kicked off was could we at least get hold of and keep hold of the ball to give the defence a bit of a breather. Sadly not it seemed, although Micky Stockwell, on his 100th appearance for the U’s, was at least running his socks off in midfield doing what he could to relieve the pressure.
Simon Brown had already pulled off a handful of stunning saves to deny Bournemouth, when the incredible happened. The U’s won a corner (don’t ask me how we found ourselves that far up the pitch to do so). I can’t remember who took the corner, but I can remember it was the head of Cherries centre back Shaun Maher that met it, to nod past his own goalkeeper and put the U’s into a most unlikely and ill-deserved 1-0 lead. Not that we were complaining, and us modest band of U’s supporters went mental in the stand.
However, there was still nearly 30 minutes to go — could the U’s hold on? Micky Stockwell had run himself ragged, and a few minutes later had to be replaced by Alan White, as the U’s switched to virtually a back six and gave up any semblance of pretending to offer a goal threat. Time and time again a U’s body was thrown on the line to prevent an equaliser, with anything that did get through smothered by Simon Brown.
And that was that, at the final whistle the U’s had held on to snatch the 3 points, points that would guarantee our League 2 survival for a record-breaking fifth season — and we hadn’t registered a single attempt on goal of our own all evening 😊.
Bournemouth 0 Colchester United 1 (Shaun Maher 62’ og)
Heading back to the train station in an elated state, via a trip to an off licence, I only just made the next train back to Southampton, though the two that jumped on seconds after me were even closer to missing it — you guessed it, it was the Swedish Branch.
Martin and Paul were on their way back to their Heathrow hotel (I think), as the U’s game was their last of an extended weekend visit that had taken in a number of other games. Fortunately for them I’d found time for my off licence visit, as there was no trolley service on the train, so we spent the relatively short journey back to Southampton chatting and sharing the fruits of my labour.
By way of payment (not that I needed any) I also became the proud owner of a couple of Swedish Branch badges. I have met up with Martin, Paul and others (including Paul’s dad) on many occasions since, most recently sharing my journey back from Newport with Martin earlier this season, but I’ll never forget our first meeting, and the most outrageously undeserved victory for the U’s that secured our league survival.
Bournemouth were eventually relegated, but I think it’s fair to say they’re currently having the last laugh…
Up the U’s!
Blog credits:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/04/18/fox-news-smartmatic-defamation-l
https://www.theweek.co.uk/daily-briefing#1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001%E2%80%9302_Colchester_United_F.C._season
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001%E2%80%9302_Football_League
https://www.coludata.co.uk/match/1022/3055?sort=sdate&order=asc&fsea=all
https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/5471923.soccer-whitton-pleased-as-us-find-sa
https://www-svenskafans-com.translate.goog/england/colchester/155679?_x_tr_sl=sv
[Post edited 22 Apr 2023 17:34]
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