Colchester United beat Stockport County 1-0 at Cuckoo Farm last night thanks to Marc Tierney's first goal for the club.

Colchester United bounced back from Derby Day defeat on Tuesday evening with a much better performance against Stockport County - and crucially, their first win in four games thanks to Marc Tierney's first goal for the club.

Paul Lambert made personnel and formation changes for the arrival of County for whom manager Jim Gannon was expected at Brighton & Hove Albion this morning to discuss their vacant managerial position. Scott Vernon dropped to the bench while Matt Heath was left out of the squad altogether to allow Paul Reid to return from suspension. Simon Hackney made his full league debut as Lambert went with a 4-5-1 formation with Platt leading the line and three holding midfielders of Hammond,
Izzet and Perkins. Yeates and Hackney played slightly further forward of the three while there was the usual back four of Reid, Baldwin, Maybury and Tierney ahead of Jimmy Walker.

United's Clive Platt earned himself an early visit to the referee's notebook with a bad challenge on a County defender who needed treatment for an ankle injury. The referee was right to caution the U's man, and overall, I thought he had a pretty decent game.

The first save of the game came after eleven minutes from Stockport's Owain Fon Williams. Yeates long ball picked out the run of Hackney across the back four but the former Carlisle man couldn't quite get a shot away. He therefore laid the ball to Perkins in support who poked a left footed effort goalwards which Fon Williams stopped with one hand before catching it. Izzet later shot over the bar when well placed.

On 17 minutes the U's took the lead through Marc Tierney's first goal for the club. It was the left back who started the move with a penetrating diagonal run in to the heart of the Stockport County defence. He attempted to find Perkins but the ball wasn't quite right but the fortunately, the blonde haired midfielder was able to poke the ball out to Izzet who was in absolutely yards of space on the right-hand side. The club's longest serving player picked out the continued run of Tierney with a sublime cross that just needed heading past Fon Williams to record the first U's goal in four games.

Stockport almost countered immediately only to be prevented by a World Class save from James Walker. County won a corner on the left which was floated to the near post where Gary Dicker rose above everyone to equalise. Somehow, from somewhere, Walker put out a hand backwards (it even looked as though it might have crossed the line!) to slap the ball away to Tierney who completed the clearance. It was simply staggering.

Perkins fired over from the edge of the box while Platt was just inches away from converting Hackney’s low driven ball at the near post.

Hackney was beginning to impress on his first start for the U's and when he won the ball on the by-line and drove into the box it looked like goal number two was on its way. He picked out Yeates at the near post but Fon Williams did well to concede the corner instead. Another Hackney cross almost reached Platt in a good position in front of goal while Yeates curled the ball wide from the corner of the penalty area.

Gannon made two changes at the break with Mainwaring and Johnson replacing Dicker and Turnbull which in turn saw Matty McNeill drop from the front-line to central defence. He had been giving the U's some problems in attack and from this display at least, certainly isn't a centre half.

United won a couple of early corners in the half which were delivered low in to the box but Reid volleyed over when off-balance. Yeates headed Hackney's cross over the bar while another cross also eluded Platt who for once had decided to attack the near post only to watch in vain as the ball sailed over his head to the far post where he would surely have had an easy header to register his first goal at home this season. That said, the U's target man was having a decent game leading the line, bringing others in to play and occasionally chasing what seemed to be lost causes.

With just under twenty minutes left, Anthony Wordsworth was introduced in place of the tiring Hackney while four minutes later, Platt went off to a generous round of applause as Scott Vernon came on.

With five minutes to go, United should have grabbed the second goal that their performance had deserved. Hammond and Tierney combined to set up Kem Izzet inside the U's penalty box, but after sending a defender the wrong way with his first touch, he managed to slice the ball in to the North Stand instead of grabbing his second of the season.

As Stockport piled on the pressure in search of the equaliser, Lambert knew the importance of not letting the result go and with that in mind, brought on Chris Coyne for Mark Yeates, with Baldwin going to right back and Maybury just in front of him. I'm sure Lambert wouldn't have been too impressed then to see Baldwin go on a marauding run down the right which admittedly, ended with one of the better crosses of the night which Fon Williams plucked off the head of Vernon.

This was a much better performance. County are not a bad side - they are still six points ahead of the U's this morning albeit with an extra game played - but the U's have doubled them this season. On the day, the formation sent out by Lambert worked with Perkins in particular looking far happier in the centre of the midfield rather than out of position on the right wing. Eventually though, Lambert must re-introduce Steven Gillespie into proceedings and it will be interesting to see who makes way then.

Shot of the Match: An early Perkins effort hit the top of the net.
Save of the Match: And probably season too - how Walker clawed Dicker's header away is anyone's guess.
Moan of the Match: How sad and pathetic that Jim Gannon refused to shake the hand of Paul Lambert immediately after the final whistle.
Man of the Match: For once I agree with the sponsors but there were also eye-catching displays from Platt, Perkins, Hammond, Izzet and Hackney. However, with his first goal and a solid performance, my MOTM is MARC TIERNEY.

Colchester: Walker, Maybury, Baldwin, Reid, Tierney, Perkins, Hammond, Izzet, Hackney (Wordsworth 71), Platt (Vernon 75), Yeates (Coyne 86).
Subs Not Used: Cousins, Gillespie.

Booked: Platt.

Goals: Tierney 17.

Stockport: Fon Williams, Mullins, Tunnicliffe, McNeil, Rose (McSweeney 76), Raynes, Dicker (Johnson 46), Turnbull (Mainwaring 46), Blizzard, Rowe, O'Grady.
Subs Not Used: Rigby, Josh Thompson.

Att: 3,179.

Ref: James Linington (Isle of Wight).

Photo: Action Images

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