Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
The U'sual Ramblings #3
Written by wessex_exile on Saturday, 13th Aug 2022 13:14

[i]The U’sual Ramblings #3[/i] comes on the back of an imperious victory at Portman Road, our first there since 13th October 1951, when Jimmy Allen’s U’s won 2-0 courtesy of second half goals from Vic Keeble and Fred Cutting in front of 19,275. This was back in the old Division Three South days, and the U’s would finish the season 10th, with our Suffolk neighbours down in lowly 17th place. Needless to say, some of the gloss of Tuesday’s backs to the wall defensive masterclass was tarnished by the behaviour of a mindless minority in the away end, though the CUFC Police twitter account has since confirmed these were not regular day in day out supporters of Colchester United. Let’s hope investigations identify the culprits, and that they never darken our doorstep again. Our reward is a second round home tie against Premier League Brentford, and whilst it won’t be on the TV, assuming Brentford sell out their 2,000 allocation, it should be a decent crowd and an excellent atmosphere at the JobServe.


[b]More of this, and less of the other please![/b]

[b]The world outside U’s World[/b]
Breaking news overnight is that author Salman Rushdie has been attacked at a book event in New York state. Everyone will no doubt remember the fatwa placed on Rushdie after publication of his work Satanic Verses. An average book if I’m honest, elevated to international notoriety because of Islamic radicals calling for his execution as a result. Although the Iranian state ‘revoked’ the fatwa in 1998, threats on Rushdie’s life have persisted, and today he lies in a hospital bed in critical condition, unable to speak and, according to medical reports, may lose an eye as a result of the frenzied stabbing.

Trump World continues to provide fascination for many, and grim reading for the Maga drones. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate was raided by FBI agents during the week, in a bid to reclaim boxes of classified documents that Trump (allegedly) illegally removed from the White House following Biden’s election victory. The fact this has rumbled on for months now indicates just how accommodating the authorities have been with Trump – if it had been Joe Public, their door would have been beaten down tout suite, and they’d currently be sat in a cell awaiting sentencing.

The search warrant has been unsealed, confirming it was authorised as part of a criminal investigation for potential violations of the Espionage Act and additional statutes relating to obstruction of justice and destroying federal government records. Trump does of course have form where destroying records is concerned, with photographs published very recently allegedly showing documents he had torn up and attempted to flush down a White House toilet. Followers of these matters will no doubt recall his odd fascination with how many times a toilet needs to be flushed on campaign rallies – perhaps now we know why that was?

As if we haven’t had enough of Covid-19, alarming news is emerging, again from China, about a new virus that authorities believe has jumped to humans from shrews! Whilst cases are relatively minor, the ease by which the Langya henipavirushas virus has transferred to humans, almost unnoticed, is alarming. Virus expert Leo Poon of the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health has commented “[i]we are hugely underestimating the number of these zoonotic cases in the world, and this is just the tip of the iceberg[/i]”.

[b]U’s World[/b]
Well, apart from the U’s fantastic victory at Portman Road, and the appalling behaviour of mindless thugs spoiling the occasion for many, there has been more positive news in U’s World. First and foremost, and presumably as a result of our deepening injury crisis, the U’s have signed 24 year old midfielder Charlie Owens on loan from QPR, in a deal that will last through to January. Although Charlie has limited experience of competitive football, he has appeared multiple times at both U19 and U21 for Northern Ireland. He’s been on the books at QPR for nearly four years, so they must see something in the lad, and I look forward to seeing what he can do whilst at Colchester United.


[b]Welcome Charlie![/b]

In a case of one in and two out, this week also sees the departure of Harvey Sayer and Brad Ihionvien on loan to the U’s Nursery (aka Maldon & Tiptree). The duo join the Isthmian North side until January, and are expected to be in the squad for their first game of the season today, at home to Tilbury. Clearly both have the potential to be big names for the U’s in the future, so the opportunity to play regular men’s football at a decent competitive level will stand them in very good stead – best wishes lads!

The date for the U’s Carabao Cup second round match against Premier League Brentford has been set as Tuesday 23rd August, with ticket details to be released as soon as the two clubs have agreed arrangements. Sadly, for the UK exiles, this won’t be streamed via iFollow, as the Carabao Cup and FA Cup are excluded from that arrangement, not sure if the same applies to our ever-growing band of international exiles (and welcome btw [b]rackingguy[/b] to the U’sual).

[b]Stat attack[/b]
To say our record against Stockport is impressive is a bit of an understatement – in 46 matches since our paths first crossed in the 1958/59 season, we have won 23 of them, drawn 15 and lost only eight. Getting things off with a bang, Benny Fenton’s U’s smashed Stockport County 8-2 in our very first match, at the time a league record for the U’s, and since bettered only once, the 9-1 victory over Bradford City three years later – also under Benny Fenton.

With the shoe on the other foot, of those eight defeats, the 3-0 at Edgeley Park in 1983 is the low point. At home, the U’s have only been defeated twice, a 1-0 under Allan Hunter in 1982, and the most recent of our rare defeats back in January 1990, losing 1-0 at Layer Road in Mick Mills’ first game in charge of the U’s.

Not surprisingly, the U’s were on their way out of the Football League that season, a feat Stockport matched back in 2011, when relegated to non-league for the first time in their history. If things looked bleak for The Hatters, they looked even bleaker in 2013 when they were relegated down into the Conference North on the last day of the season. Since then, it has been a slow process of rebuilding, until finally last season, finishing top of the National League, they returned from their non-league exile.

Widely tipped to be a force to be reckoned with this season, and with a huge fan base developed during their wilderness years, I certainly do think they’ll be there or thereabouts this season. That being said, two defeats on the bounce leaves them at the foot of the table on zero points, and only out of the relegation zone on goals scored. However, anyone thinking as a result that they’ll be a pushover today probably needs their bumps felt.

[b]Match of the Day
[i]AFC Bournemouth v Colchester United
Saturday 22nd April 2006
Coca-Cola Football League Two (Tier 3)
Attendance 6,231[/i][/b]


[b]Courtesy of Graeson’s ColuData website[/b]

Today’s [i]Match of the Day[/i] is courtesy of the random memorabilia match generator, and what a doozy it has chosen. I don’t have a programme for this one, just abiding memories and a calendar notation, so the programme photo is from Graeson’s ColuData website. Living in Salisbury at the time, this one was an easy local trip, and a journey I’d made on many occasions. Not the easiest place to get to on the train, I decided I’d drive down with my son Sam for the match, parking at the ground behind the relatively newly built temporary South stand (I think they put the temporary seats in the previous autumn).

Following a poor run of four defeats and one draw from mid-February into March, the U’s under Phil Parkinson had steadied the ship, and were on a run of only one defeat in the last eight matches, and that one a narrow 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest. The U’s were in the second automatic promotion slot, but it was very congested up there, with Southend, Huddersfield, Barnsley and of course our next Carabao Cup opponents Brentford all in contention. Winning was essential, but if needs be not losing even more important.

It was a beautiful April day, the sun was out, the conditions perfect, and probably buoyed by the prospect of a weekend by the sea, nearly 800 had made the journey from Essex and lands afar to cheer the U’s on. We were in fine voice too, and with the excellent acoustics afforded by the East stand where we were gathered, one of the better awaydays for passion and volume that I can remember following the news.

Going into this crucial third from last game of the season, Parky named the following strong line-up:
13..Dean Gerken
17..John White (12. Pat Baldwin 89’)
18..Liam Chilvers
5….Wayne Brown
7….Karl Duguid
2….Greg Halford
6….Kevin Watson
4….Neil Danns (10. Kem Izzet 80’)
14..Mark Yeates
20..Scott Vernon (26. Tony Thorpe 72’)
11..Chris Iwelumo

For AFC Bournemouth, then managed by Sean O’Driscoll, notable names in the Cherries line-up included warhorse Steve Fletcher, and hat-trick hero James Hayter. Hayter scored the fastest ever hat-trick in just 2 minutes and 21.88 seconds, after coming on as an 84th minute substitute against Wrexham, with the Cherries already 3-0 up. His parents, however, missed it, as they had to leave moments earlier to catch the last ferry back to the Isle of Wight.

If the nerves were jangling so close to promotion, it didn’t show in the U’s. With just five minutes gone, the U’s were awarded a free kick just inside the Bournemouth half, way out near the right touchline. After a bit of debate between whether it would be taken by Watson with his right foot, or Brown with his left, and a sneaky move of the ball to gain a few feet by Brown, he curled in a peach of a cross right on to the head of Liam Chilvers, who made no mistake from point blank range in what was a very congested penalty area.

We erupted in celebration, it was just the start the U’s needed. However, those celebrations were cut short a few minutes later, as Bournemouth equalised. In truth, Stephen Cooke really should have been tackled by Chilvers (I think it was, anyway?), but whoever it was slipped on the surface, leaving Cooke free to charge into the box and drill past the helpless Gerken.

Still, undaunted by the setback, the U’s on and off the pitch continued to dominate, and it was only a combination of the tips of ‘keeper Gareth Stewart’s fingers and the corner of cross bar and post that prevented Halford from heading the U’s into a 2-1 lead. Not that Bournemouth weren’t creating a few chances of their own, and Gerken had to be a full stretch to keep a low goal-bound effort as half time approached. Still, 1-1 at half time, and everything to play for second half.

The opening exchanges of second half were a nervy affair – Bournemouth were uncomfortably close to the relegation zone, and if they couldn’t win the game, they certainly didn’t want to lose it. For the U’s, it was touch and go whether a point would be enough to keep our hopes of automatic promotion alive.

And then, on 51 minutes, our moment came. Picking up the ball in the centre of midfield, Doogie went on one of his trademark runs up the left wing, skinning goalscorer Stephen Cooke for pace, before pinging a wicked cross into the box…and there was Scott Vernon. Time seemed to stand still, for an age we waited with baited breath as Vernon trapped the ball, waited for the bounce to be perfect, and then gleefully smashed it left-footed past Stewart.

If we celebrated our opener with gusto, this was on another level – supporters tumbled over each other in celebration, the players were virtually in the stand with us, strangers hugged, just complete bedlam ensued – surely we’d done it now!

[b]AFC Bournemouth 1 (Stephen Cooke 8’) Colchester United 2 (Liam Chilvers 5’; Scott Vernon 51’)[/b]

We obviously know how the season finished – we beat Rotherham 2-0 at home the following Saturday, and after a very nervy 0-0 at Yeovil on the final day of the season, the U’s were promoted to the Championship for the first time in their history.

Most will say it was our incredible run from October through to February that laid the foundations for the U’s success that season, and I wouldn’t disagree. But I will maintain to my dying day, it was that victory at Bournemouth which really won promotion for the U’s that season.

As a footnote, the following morning Sam was at in his pyjamas eating breakfast, and from the kitchen I could clearly hear him quietly practising some of the songs he’d heard that afternoon – what a proud moment for Dad!


[b]The YouTube footage is very grainy, but enjoy reliving the moment one more time[/b]

Up the U’s!




Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments

Blogs 31 bloggers

Knees-up Mother Brown #22 by wessex_exile
Knees-up Mother Brown #18 by wessex_exile
About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© FansNetwork 2024