Boiling point

Photo: Pictures by ALAN HoWaRTH

SHOULDER TO SHOULDER . . . Athletic midfielder Ritchie Jones attempts to win possession.

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Colchester 1, Athletic 0
WHEN Cedric Evina’s cross was calmly collected by goalkeeper Ben Williams late in the second half, the reaction from the visitors’ dug-out was telling.

Paul Dickov was first to explode.

This striker of repute in times gone — and possibly yet to come, if the abysmal record in front of goal continues — launched into a family-unfriendly tirade at his front pair of Reuben Reid and substitute Oumare Tounkara for their failure to attack the near post.

Gerry Taggart was soon up behind Dickov, showing his equal displeasure.

The responses were completely understandable as Athletic again gave a lesson in how not to make something out of the — very — ordinary happen in front of those netted white things.

A moment soon after that exercise in non-attacking was also very telling. Evina, recalled to left midfield and proving to be the only incisive runner with the ball in the team, surged forward skilfully and looked for a player running beyond the last defender to slip the ball to.

All too predictably, it was a vain quest as players retreated on to their heels.

This stuff was frustrating enough to watch from the press box, so what Dickov et al must be feeling right now can’t even be imagined.

Fact is, Athletic have scored a paltry twice in the last 10 games, eight of which have been defeats.

The last goal registered from inside an opposing penalty area was against Dagenham more than 15 hours of football ago, by Dale Stephens — a midfielder, and the club’s top scorer. Compare his personal tally of 10 to that of recognised front men Tounkara, Ryan Brooke, Warren Feeney and Reuben Reid. Dale wins by one.

With Tounkara seemingly having lost the entirety of his form, nobody apparently has either the confidence or the willingness to put themselves in where it hurts.

It simply must change if Athletic are to get the points needed to remain in npower League One and Dickov will now face renewed calls to see if he can’t step out of semi-retirement to have a go himself.

All that said, Athletic had the better of the first half of this game between two out-of-form sides at the Weston Homes Community Stadium and could have been in front at half-time.

As it was, near misses and a wonky offside trap allowed speedy Ashley Vincent to slot home a second-half winner after 52 minutes.

No chances to equalise followed, apart from a late Stephens shot from a free-kick which was batted away by Williams.

Dickov made three changes to his side following the good showing in defeat to Brighton three days earlier.

Out went centre-back James Tarkowski, winger Aidan White and fellow wide man Filipe Morais — the latter man missing out as a result of a tight hamstring — with Jean-Yves Mvoto, Ritchie Jones and Evina taking their respective places.

One stand-out scoring opportunity presented itself to the home team in the first half, aside from a bundled Nathan Clarke effort from a corner which bounced up and grazed the top of the crossbar.

Athletic lost possession and in a flash, John Ward’s men had slipped the ball through to Steven Gillespie, in behind a falling Reuben Hazell and bearing down on Dean Brill’s goal eight minutes before half-time.

Dickov was grateful for an excellent block by his goalkeeper, who had the presence of mind to flick the rebound away from danger.

At the other end, Athletic went close on four occasions.

First, Reid was sent away by a long clearance by Paul Black. The centre-forward, who looks a leaner proposition now than when he first arrived at the club, carried the ball into the penalty area, but the pressure from the home defence was enough to unbalance the former Walsall man and his effort drifted a yard wide of the near post.

A minute later, the direct Evina advanced and belted a left-footed shot narrowly wide of the far post from 25 yards to leave the visiting dug-out putting their hands on their heads once again.

The mood was a little fiercer among Messrs Dickov, Taggart and Duxbury when Jones went agonisingly close to opening the scoring, after Kieran Lee had stung Williams’ fingertips with a shot from the edge of the area.

Stephens pulled his right-wing corner back to the same part of the field and Jones’s low shot was tipped around the post superbly by a diving Williams — only for referee James Linington to mystifyingly award a goal kick.

Winning goal aside, the second half was a more tepid affair.

Dean Furman was unlucky to see his snap-shot whistle narrowly wide after a corner was cleared to him on the edge of the area.

Five minutes later Vincent struck. Athletic appealed for an offside flag when the ball was slotted behind the right side of their defence, but it never came and the U’s winger finished calmly with the inside of his right foot.

David Mooney almost made it 2-0 when Stephens gave away possession and went down in a heap in centre-field. Presented with a three-on-two attack, United’s top scorer should have done better than whistle a shot narrowly over Brill’s crossbar.

Mvoto then hobbled off with an ankle injury with Tarkowski replacing him, the first in a raft of substitutions which did little to ignite the contest.

Stephens’ shot was saved by Williams and at the other end, Brill had to be alert to scramble away a header by Kayode Odejayi.

The end result, though, was a third defeat in a row by the only goal of the game.

All too predictable from Athletic’s point of view, and a result which increases the importance of the home game against Tranmere on Monday.




Latics’ next game: Monday — Tranmere (home), npower League One