Blues boss Paul Jewell hailed his players’ spirited second half comeback after Town’s incredible 5-3 win at Barnsley.

Jewell said: “A credit to the players. We were 2-0 down at half-time and there were shades of the second half at Burnley.

“I sat the players down at half-time and told them that we need men. There’s no easy way out of this, it’s live on telly, which shouldn’t make any difference, and now wasn’t the time for shrinking violets. We came out second half and you could see that we had a reaction.

“When you’ve been on a run like we’ve been on, it’s easy to feel sorry for yourself and think the world’s against you,” he continued.

“All you need is belief, desire and determination and we showed that in abundance in the second half. We looked lively all of a sudden, from nowhere.

“The front players got hold of the ball, the midfield players were picking up second balls, we were getting crosses into the box, everything we didn’t do in the first half.”

He says his players deserved criticism for not seeming to care during the recent 4-0 defeat at Turf Moor but is pleased with the way they have reacted in the last couple of matches: “I think anyone who was at the Burnley game can level those things at the players, because I did.

“But the reaction we got against Watford showed that the supporters will stick with the players as long as they give everything they’ve got.

“Against Burnley, I’ve told them, a few of them went missing. Today, at 2-0 down, we’d have been any price but we created opportunities and we looked like a confident team from nowhere.”

The Blues manager admitted that Keith Andrews’s first goal coming so soon after the break was a key moment: “Goals change games. I thought we should have a penalty in the first half when the lad’s hand caught the ball. They get a penalty and all three of their goals were set plays — a penalty, a freekick and a corner.

“I said to them at half-time, the next goal is vital. I said we didn’t have to score it straight away because when you’ve got a 2-0 lead and the opposition score, believe me, you can get edgy.

“We scored after 20-odd seconds of the second half and all of a sudden we were on the front foot.”

Jewell refused to single any particular player out for praise: “I think the whole team had a really good second half. We’re disappointed to have conceded three goals but at least we’ve shown a bit of balls and a bit of character in the comeback.

“We’ve let leads slip ourselves over the last few weeks and it’s nice to show our supporters who have come all this way that we've got a bit of fighting spirit. We’ve got to continue with that and get better at lots of things.”

Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk

Photo: Action Images

Colchester United Polls