Toothless Latics go down with a whimper

MAN ON THE SPOT: Reuben Reid converts a penalty kick for the fourth time this season.

Colchester 4, Athletic 1
CRUSHED by a team still searching for its first home win of the season, this men-against-boys display does not bode well for Athletic.

Successive victories over Scunthorpe and Rochdale preceded what manager Paul Dickov said beforehand could end up being Athletic’s toughest game so far.

But instead of rising to the physical challenge, against a side packed with hulking brutes who can also play more than a smidgeon of football, Athletic were weak.

The hesitant visitors simply didn’t man-up. And in terms of brains – the cerebral sphere being where football matches are so often won and lost – they at times made the cast of ‘The Only Way is Essex’ look like Mensa members.

Athletic were unable to stop Colchester’s wide men Michail Antonio and Ian Henderson from running riot.

So often they managed to produce telling crosses into the penalty area – not by any means a new problem for Athletic – and so often those aerial balls were won by more determined U’s players.

Down at the other end, despite having big Matt Smith on the field for more than an hour, you were able count the number of telling deliveries into the area from out wide on one hand.

Unable to defend properly and insipid in attack, only teenager Carl Winchester – the only Athletic player all afternoon switched on to the need to get the ball wide, quickly, into attacking positions – and Smith can fully excuse themselves.

Just as at Yeovil, another side featuring direct wide men hugging the touchline, this was an away-day experience to enrage both management and the supporters who made the long journey to the South-East.

With Josh Parker ruled out with a knee injury, Dickov named David Mellor in his starting line-up, before hauling him off after half-an-hour.

The 18-year-old was clearly struggling on the left of midfield.

Smith came on as Athletic tried to undo the damage wrought after only 17 seconds.

Colchester kicked off, played around the back and then lofted a ball down the right wing which Anthony Wordsworth was first to.

Cutting inside as ex-U’s loan defender Nathan Clarke backed off, the midfielder lashed an unstoppable left-foot rocket across Alex Cisak and into the top corner.

John-Joe O’Toole may have done better with a header from a Lloyd James corner which drifted wide and, after only 10 minutes, frustrated Dickov was rubbing his face and firing angry questions at his mis-performing men.

Wordsworth fired a yard over from a free-kick and then had a shot well blocked by Clarke as the home side continued to steam forward.

O’Toole had a goal disallowed for a foul on Keiran Lee and Magnus Okuonghae headed over another James corner before Reid’s neat left-foot finish off Clarke’s slid pass was ruled out because of an offside flag.

Athletic’s top scorer had better luck moments late. Lee’s hopeful floated pass forward appeared innocuous until Reid managed to beat goalkeeper Mark Cousins in the foot-race. Arriving milliseconds before hand, Reid hopefully prodded the ball towards the touchline and tripped over an outstretched hand before confidently stroking the ball home from the spot to equalise.

Colchester pressed strongly towards the interval. Three-goal centre-forward Odejayi had another header fly just off target, before the controversial penalty for the home team was put away by the outstanding Wordsworth for his second of the afternoon.

Zander Diamond’s intervention at halting Henderson’s burst into the area didn’t seem to overly bother Rushton.

The referee appeared happy to let play continue, before pulling it back on the advice of his furiously-flagging assistant.

Both penalty calls could just as easily have not been made.

It was vital for Athletic that they bedded down in the second half.

Instead, the speedy Antonio was again allowed to cross from the left and Henderson hung between the centre-backs to head down into the net from six yards.

It was all far too easy, granting Colchester a two-goal advantage barely 30 seconds into the half.

By that time, Dickov had been dispatched to the stand, leaving assistant boss Gerry Taggart patrolling the technical area while first-team coach Lee Duxbury relayed managerial messages via a mobile phone.

Paul Black’s miserable first half saw him replaced at half-time by Bradley Diallo who, if nothing else, showed plenty of enthusiasm and determination.

Cousins let a harmless Smith header loop on to the top of the crossbar, but the traffic was still flowing overwhelmingly in one direction.

So it was that Matt Heath punished an almost complete lack of marking by flying in to head home a fourth, Cisak not quite able to push the ball out given the speed it was travelling at.

With over half-an-hour left, it threatened to become very embarrassing indeed for Athletic.

Thankfully, the bleeding was stemmed as the game petered out, with both sides content to call a ceasefire.

The one remaining talking point was Smith’s follow-up header after the quiet Filipe Morais had struck the inside of a post with a free-kick, disallowed for a surprising offside flag.