Colchester United 2 v Mansfield Town 3 - EFL League 2

Saturday 19th January 2019

SkyBet EFL League 2

Jobserve Community Stadium

Colchester United (2) 2
Tom Eastman 14, Courtney Senior 30

Mansfield Town (0) 3
Nicky Ajose 51, Tyler Walker 64, CJ Hamilton 79
Admission £15.50.
Programme free - a very good 68 page glossy production

Attendance: 3546 (inc. 426 away)

Layer Road had been Colchester United's home ground, since their foundation in 1937 (and that of their predecessors Colchester Town from 1910 to 1937 too), until they relocated to the Community Stadium in time for the start of the 2008-09 season. Subsequently, it's taken me just over a decade to finally get around to visiting the Essex based club, since they moved to their current amphitheatre, which stands just off the A12, on the periphery of what is claimed to be the oldest town in the United Kingdom... Colchester was also formerly the capital of Roman Britain.

The U's moved up to fourth in League Two table last weekend, when they won 0-3 at Port Vale, on the same afternoon that the Stags lost at home to Yeovil Town. But a victory over Crawley Town in midweek, saw David Flitcroft's Mansfield side, leapfrog over today's hosts (and MK Dons) and move up to third place, which consequently knocked John McGreal's side down into fifth.
Which is where they both started today, prior to the kick off of this 'promotion six pointer'.

Of course, there were really only three points available to the winner, or one each for a draw this afternoon, but that's hardly going to hype up my coverage on this dull as dishwater long winded, self indulgent, bullshit blog, with added football content, or entice you all to hang on in there wading through all of my skirting around the periphery nonsense, in the vainglorious hope that I'll eventually get to the point and offer a few crumbs of demystification into what actually happened out on the field of play this afternoon, while reaching some kind of a semi accurate round up of events and grand finale as the game reached it's exciting and dramatic climax.

As an aside, while we're on the subject of climaxing, so to speak: I got myself a cup of coffee before kick off and need to ask, quite seriously, why the funking hell don't they just serve two kinds of coffee at football grounds? Namely: black or white. Then there would be none of these 'tear here to open' sachets of milk, or cartons with exploding lids, waiting to ambush unsuspecting caffeine drinkers, with the kind of attack that leaves your dark coloured coat looking like you've just been playing the role of a 'fluffer' in a cum-shot compilation video. Just saying!

Sadly, although all three and a half thousand plus spectators did indeed witness an 'exciting and dramatic' encounter between two attack minded sides, their was to be a sorry ending to this tale, when Hayden White left the field in on a stretcher, in stoppage time, with a suspected broken ankle.
White and Colchester's Frank Nouble had been battling against each other like a pair of big hitting heavyweight's all afternoon, but the robust challenge by Nouble in the ninety second minute, upped the ante somewhat. I'm pretty sure that the U's number forty five wouldn't have wanted to hurt his opponent so seriously, but he certainly went in with the intention of letting the Stags defender feel his presence. Good luck for a full recovery as soon as possible Hayden.

The game itself had been an absolute cracker! With Colchester putting the Stags to the sword prior to the break, until David Flitcroft switched from playing three in defence and adopted a back four, after which time the visitors grew in the game and ultimately turned things around and made a stunning, highly deserved comeback in the second half.

The Stags on loan (from Nottingham Forest) keeper, Jordan Smith was called into action early on, when the aforementioned U's powerhouse wide man Nouble (on loan from the Harlem Globetrotters... allegedly), showed some decent touches out on the left before squaring the ball for Sammie Szmodic to shoot.
CJ Hamilton burst forward on the right flank as far as the dead ball line before floating a dipping cross beyond the back post that Nicky Ajose (on loan from Charlton Athletic) met with a downward header that crashed against the upright and out of play.

Then Brennan Dickenson almost doubled Colchester's lead with an angled shot from the left hand side of the Stags area, that Smith did well to turn around the post.
Confusion reigned in the visitors ranks as United took the lead in the fourteenth minute, when Courtney Senior's delivery into the area, spun into the air off of Mikael Mandron as Krystian Pearce blocked him from flicking the ball on, but as it bounced awkwardly in the area, Pearce and Mal Benning inadvertently got in each others way and Tom Eastman nipped in to toe punt the ball into the goal.

Courtney Senior added a second goal for Colchester, almost on the half hour mark, making a weaving run past Benning and Jacob Mellis, before drilling the ball into the back of the net via Smith's outstretched hand.
Just before half time, Mansfield almost got a goal back, when a good passing move orchestrated by Neal Bishop set up an opening for Benning, whose looping was tipped over the bar by Rene Gilmartin, to preserve Colchester's two goal cushion going into half time, which if truth be told they warranted on the balance of things thus far.
HT: U's 2 v Stags 0

Mansfield had shown the odd flash of inspiration during the first half, but not enough to keep a lively Colchester at bay. But after the break, they were unplayable at times and put in a shift that wholly warranted them coming 'back from the dead', to clinch all three points, while the home side slipped into sixth placed, but hey! They're still up there amongst the play off contenders, and on their showing during the first half today, they shouldn't be far off the running as the season gallops headlong towards it's business end.

Six minutes after the restart, White slotted the ball through to meet the angled run of Tyler Walker (on loan from Nottingham Forest), who drilled a cross into the six yard box, that Ajose steered past Gilmarton off of his chest.
Maybe Ajose's cracked it and is onto something here... he scooped a close range sitter over the bar in midweek, headed against the post from close range earlier in this game, but finally came good via his upper torso today. This could be his new thing, it might even catch on.

The Stags were on level terms after sixty four minutes. when Walker knocked the ball out wide to Jorge Grant (also on loan from Nottingham Forest) who played a low return ball to the prolific marksman who comfortably swept it into the bottom left hand corner. Comeback complete! Game on!
Ajose's measured chip forward for CJ Hamilton to run onto, through the home defence, before slotting it past the stranded Gilmartin... and celebrating in front of the Stags fans at the side of the pitch.

All five goals had been netted in front of an end of the ground that had been left empty, apart from three people whose job it was to charge around retrieving stray balls. I was sat at the opposite end, where the Colchester fans around me knew that I was an outsider, but were all friendly enough. It was a frustrating last ten minutes for them and their team, as John McGreals's side piled forward looking to salvage a point, but were unable to breach the Stags half working and well drilled rearguard, amidst the rather fractious and tetchy closing exchanges, although Harry Pell went close when Smith gathered his downward header on the goal line.
FT: Colchester United 2 v Mansfield Town 3

All told, today's thriller of a game was an excellent advertisement for League Two (Division Four) football, .
And as for my first impressions of Colchester United and their stadium: what a friendly, hospitable and friendly club they turned out to be, so credit where it's due to that end.
Layer Road was a quirky old ground, steeped in a hell of a lot of character... and who could ever forget those wooden steps in the away end there?

But, in my humble estimation.... of the new(ish) builds, the Community Stadium, or the Jobserve Community Stadium to give it it's full title, is just fine. A bit remote maybe, but the bar and cafe facilities on the site were both spot on... and none of the refreshment outlets either inside or outside the stadium, fleeced you with the usual rip-off prices you have to stump up at Football League grounds... I really liked the place and the whole set up at the club.