Colchester United lost at Crewe Alexandra in League Two
HAD Colchester United started their game at Crewe Alexandra like they finished it, there’s little doubt there would have been a very different final outcome at the Mornflake Stadium.
As it was, the U’s were made to pay for a dreadful opening which ultimately led to them coming away empty handed.
They were left with a mountain to climb after going 2-0 down in the opening eight minutes, with both of the goals they conceded self inflicted.
READ MORE: Colchester United player ratings after Crewe Alexandra defeat
What followed in the closing stages of the first half and the entire second period was a huge improvement on their disjointed early display and a performance that merited much more than it provided.
In fact, Colchester were dominant, so much so that one Alex fan turned to his friend during the second half and said ‘we’re just waiting for them to score again’.
Sadly the U’s did not add to Samson Tovide’s strike just after half-time.
The damage had been done early and while Colchester were very unfortunate to take nothing from the game, they probably only have themselves to blame.
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ONE of the biggest positives to come out of Colchester’s performance at Crewe was the individual dispay of Noah Chilvers.
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The U’s academy product has shown on plenty of occasions in the past that he is capable of inspiring his team and dragging them back into games, one of the reasons why he was named the club’s vice-captain in the summer.
Chilvers produced one of those performances at the Mornflake Stadium and was desperately unlucky not to score, particularly when his first-half effort crashed against the woodwork.
He was the U’s man of the match and Ben Garner will be hoping for plenty more similar showings from the young midfielder, between now and the rest of the season.
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COLCHESTER fielded the same starting line-up in the league for the third successive match, at Crewe.
READ MORE: Ben Garner’s assessment of U’s defeat at Crewe
That meant eight of that team were 23 years old, or younger.
It’s a youthful U’s side taking to the field at the moment and that brings many benefits.
But they are also still on a learning curve and that means they will naturally be more prone to making mistakes.
That has been evident in their last couple of matches – at both ends of the pitch – but the manner in which the U’s are generally playing gives hope for optimism that their general all-round team play can eventually over-ride any individual errors, in the long term.
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FOR the second successive game, Colchester’s opponents came away with something meaningful from their match having, in truth, done little to deserve it.
After Mansfield Town scored a stoppage-time equaliser with only their fifth shot on target to deny the U’s victory seven days earlier, Crewe netted from two of their three on-target efforts on goal to claim all three points.
READ MORE: Match report as Colchester United are beaten at Crewe Alexandra
Owen Goodman wasn’t exactly over worked in the Colchester goal, in the minutes that followed that crazy opening period.
All three of Colchester’s away defeats in League Two so far this season have been by a single goal, an illustration that they are close to getting it right but at the moment, not quite there.
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OF Colchester’s eight league games so far this season, six have been against teams currently residing in the top half of the table.
It’s a reflection of how tough the U’s opening to the new campaign has been, with games against the likes of Gillingham, Mansfield, AFC Wimbledon and more recently Crewe in the first few weeks.
It doesn’t get any easier for Ben Garner’s side next weekend, when leaders Notts County visit the JobServe Community Stadium looking to maintain their fine streak of form.
Nevertheless, after encouraging performances against Gillingham and Mansfield – and on the back of how they have generally fared in their last three league matches – the U’s will certainly not be afraid of the challenge that awaits.
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