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Posh 2, Colchester 1 - Strictly no sympathy for the 'Us'
THERE'S more sympathy in a panel of attention-seeking dancing judges than there is in football, but one couldn't help feel slightly sorry for struggling Colchester.
THERE'S more sympathy in a panel of attention-seeking dancing judges than there is in football, but one couldn't help feel slightly sorry for struggling Colchester.All-out defence is the normal policy of teams visiting London Road these days so the 'Us' approach was refreshingly bold, especially as their forward focal points were Clive Platt, a centre-forward with the grace and movement of a tree, and Jermaine Easter, who clearly hasn't wasted his time dieting during a spell on the sidelines.
But the pair were surprisingly effectively – former Posh man Platt even headed a rare London Road goal – leaving home boss Darren Ferguson grateful that he can select a robust central defensive partnership.
For all the magical work of the Posh forwards, Gaby Zakuani and Craig Morgan are becoming key men at this higher standard.
Clearly Colchester are in a false position among the League One lowlife and with more good fortune, particularly during a dominant opening to the match, they may have taken some reward against a home side who didn't become a regular attacking threat until the latter stages.
By then the visitors had been cruelly struck down by defensive injuries forcing them to field three midfielders in the back four. Not surprisingly they often looked more out of their comfort zone than John Sergeant.
Posh eventually won the game thanks to well-timed strikes from Craig Mackail-Smith and George Boyd. The former pounced on a delightful through ball by the latter to produce one of his better finishes on the stroke of half-time – a lob over the last defender was followed by an accurate volley.
And Boyd hammered in the winner midway through the second half, just two minutes after Platt had equalised from close range following an excellent cross from David Perkins.
A half-cleared corner was returned with great skill by Dean Keates and Zakuani's far post header was pushed out by Colchester keeper Dean Gerken straight to a grateful Boyd.
To his credit Ferguson didn't try and claim credit for the winner even though it arrived 60 seconds after the arrival of substitutes Shaun Batt and debutant Andrew Crofts.
Neither had touched the ball before Boyd scored, but Batt's presence in place of a floundering Sergio Torres certainly pepped up Posh as an attacking force.
The lanky one was denied an immediate third Posh goal by blocks by Phil Ifil and Gerken after a superb lay-off by Aaron Mclean.
He also fired a fine shot just over the crossbar and his headed flick in the final stages ended with Mackail-Smith firing a fierce shot against Gerken.
But earlier in the afternoon Posh struggled to get a foothold in a match, played in blustery conditions on a slippery surface.
They survived a goal-mouth scramble at either end of the first-half with Perkins claiming a penalty for handball when his close range shot was diverted by Russell Martin into the path of Joe Lewis.
After the break Posh were also frustrated by the lack of a spot-kick when the marauding Martin was upended by Lee Hills.
The frustration turned to anger when Platt scored at the other end within 60 seconds – thankfully Boyd was on hand to calm the fans and his irate manager down.
It also confirmed a 13th League One match unbeaten for Posh – once Kemil Izzet had blasted a last-minute volley over the bar – who are currently grinding results out rather than blowing the opposition away.
There's nothing wrong with that of course and it's to be expected at this level. There are no Accringtons or sides managed by Terry Butcher in this division.Match facts
POSH 2
Mackail-Smith (45 mins), Boyd (64 mins).
COLCHESTER 1
Platt (62 mins).
Referee: M. Haywood (Yorkshire) 5.
Attendance: 7,401.
COLCHESTER RATINGS
Dean Gerken 6
John White 6
Johnnie Jackson 6
Pat Baldwin 6
Matt Heath 6
Kemi Izzet 6
David Perkins 6
Mark Yeates 8
Dean Hammond 7
Jermaine Easter 7
Clive Platt 7
Substitutes
Phil Ifil: (for Heath, 20 mins) 7
Lee Hills: (for White, 34 mins) 6
Anthony Worsdworth: (for Hills, 66 mins).
Mark Cousins: (not used).
Scott Vernon: (not used).
Yellow cards:
Posh – Mclean (foul).
Colchester – Izzet (persistent fouling), Wordsworth (foul).
The ratings
Joe Lewis 6
Nothing difficult to deal with, almost paid price for a weak punch at the death
Russell Martin 7
Protected his flank well and found time for the occasional burst forward
Craig Morgan 7
Came into his own after the break, popped up whenever danger lurked
Gaby Zakuani 8 (Star man)
Found Platt a handful but competed strongly, awesome challenges
Tommy Williams 7
Takes a risk or two, but has great pace and passing and crossing can be dangerous
Sergio Torres 5
Hardly received a pass first-half and struggled to get into the game as a result
Charlie Lee 6
Little end product, boss believes he needs to improve his defensive ability
Dean Keates 7
Delivered some measured passes including one for the winning goal
George Boyd 6
Even one of his ordinary displays delivered a goal and an assist
Craig Mackail-Smith 7
As well taken a goal as he's ever produced, busy display
Aaron Mclean 6
Nothing fell for him in front of goal, but created chances for
others
Substitutes
Andrew Crofts: (for Lee, 63 mins).
Shaun Batt: (for Torres, 63 mins).
Chris Westwood: (not used).
James McKeown: (not used).
Paul Coutts: (not used).
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