The Laitt Report - Colchester United 0 Leeds United 1
Saturday 04 Apr 2009 19:28:33 by Graeson Laitt
Colchester United lost at home today again as Leeds United recorded their first ever victory in North Essex thanks to Lucciano Becchio's 29th minutes strike
Colchester United suffered their home one nil reverse in succession today after Luciano Becchio's first half goal saw Leeds United come out on top. In a game of few chances, the U's best chance came via the foot of Mark Yeates after Hawley's lay-off but Ankergren was there to save the day for Simon Grayson's play-off contenders.
The U's were looking for a notable double over Leeds having beaten them 2-1 at Elland Road earlier in the campaign. To that end, manager Paul Lambert kept faith with the same side that had beaten Millwall in mid-week though there was a change in formation with Yeates playing behind a front two of Platt and home debutant Karl Hawley.
Another made making his first start in front of the home faithful was defender Neal Trotman who partnered Pat Baldwin however, the ling serving central defender lined up on the left hand side of the defence - a position at which he has never looked quite as assured. Completing the list of debuts, Ashley Vincent was named on the subs bench for the first time since completing his loan move from Cheltenham Town.
For Leeds, Jermaine Beckford led the line with Argentine striker Luciano Becchio alongside him. Former Ipswich Town defender Richard Naylor partnered loanee Sam Sodje at the back but I'm sure most U's eyes were on no 15 Fabian Delph, the highly-rated youngster who has had the scouts flocking to Yorkshire this season.
It was clear from the outset that Leeds are a decent side. Beckford, with his pace, was a real threat, just playing off the shoulder of the last defender. He was prepared to get caught offside a couple of times in the hopes of getting one right for a chance on goal. He kept Trotman and Baldwin busy from the first to the last minute. Unfortunately, United only have one player like that, but Steven Gillespie has spent too much time in the U's treatment room for anyone's liking.
Snodgrass, for me Leeds best player on the day, set up the first chance of the match with an incisive through ball that the U's fail to defend against. Cousins came rushing out of his goal and did well not to make contact with the former Scunthorpe striker who saw his header go wide of the goal.
After eight minutes, Hawley made some space for himself on the edge of the box and his surprise shot to the near post almost caught Ankergren out at his near post but the former Spurs keeper got down to concede the corner.
Clive Platt was almost gifted another goal to add to his nine this season when Richard Naylor's attempts to find his keeper went straight at the number nine. Sadly, unlike at Oldham where he buried a similar opportunity, he was unable to control the ball quickly enough and the chance lost.
Hawley again tested the Leeds keeper from just outside the box just after Dean Hammond had appeared to kick David Perkins in the face back in the U's half. Becchio then headed a corner wide for the visitors backed by the largest away following seen at Colchester United since....well, possibly ever? Certainly, I cannot recall seeing so many away fans at Layer Road in my time so you might need to go back to the 50s & 60s to find more.
Beckford temporarily got away from Trotman towards the midpoint of the half but the Preston loanee did manage to get back to stop the Leeds man from getting in to the box. Cousins comfortably holding the eventual shot.
It was the U's then who created their best chance so far. A brave challenge from Kem Izzet saw him win the ball towards Hawley who wasted no time in laying the ball off to the advancing Mark Yeates. The U's leading goal scorer just had the keeper to beat from the inside right channel but Ankergren was equal to the task for a corner.
The U's were made to pay for that miss as Grayson's team took the lead soon after. United went sloppy at the back and failed to clear the long ball forward. Becchio wasted no time in firing past Cousins in to the top right hand corner of the net to send the three thousand opposition fans wild with delight.
Yeates tried to make amends with a curling shot from nearly twenty-five yards that Ankergren scrabbling across his goal just to make sure it was going wide. At the other end, Becchio headed over a Kilkenny cross for which Izzet had picked up a yellow card for his indiscretion.
Former Leeds United fullback Alan Maybury then got caught out by the U's pitch as another long ball forward was aimed towards Beckford. Thankfully, Cousins was out quickly to smother the danger at the forward's feet to save the Irishman's blushes as the teams went in to the tunnel.
I felt that United at that point needed to change the system slightly. Yeates had the freedom to play behind the front two but that left a very narrow midfield three of Izzet, Perkins and the superb Dean Hammond. It meant that the midfield area was too congested by far and if Yeates was central, that left no wide man as an out ball. I would certainly have switched to a 4-4-2 system with Perky left, Yeates right, and Hammond and Izzet central. It would also have meant that Delph and the impressive Snodgrass would have been forced to work back nearer their own goal when, at times, it was four Leeds players (Becchio, Beckford, Snodgrass and Delph) against the U's back four.
Halftime came and went with neither manager making any alterations their eleven on the field and indeed, such was the tightness of the match that the first moment of note came after an hour’s play as Simon Hackney replaced David Perkins to allow the U's to go to a 4-4-2 formation. It was a brave decision from Lambert as moments earlier Kem Izzet had been spoken to by referee Woolmer and looked to be in the last chance saloon.
Becchio angered the U's fans by once again going to ground far too easily but this time inside the U's box as he looked to con a penalty from the referee - he should have gone in to the book instead. Perhaps justice was done was the Argentine found himself offside as Leeds thought they'd grabbed a second.
Ashley Vincent, on loan from Cheltenham, came on to replace Hawley up front as Lambert looked to try and get the U's to be a bit more direct but so far, with eighteen minutes to play, they had not really threatened the Leeds goalkeeper.
Yeates did try a shot over his shoulder late on which Ankergren smothered all too easily whilst the U's were coping the visitors attempts to break-away and grab a second. Yeates made way for Gobern with eight minutes left but the on-loan Wolves winger only really go involved in a late scuffle following Hackney's tackle on Snodgrass which resulted in the aforementioned U's man and Richard Naylor being cautioned.
As time ran out, so did the U's chances of grabbing something from the game and indeed, it was the other United who had the best chance in injury time. Beckford ran away down the U's left before cutting inside but Cousins was out quickly to dive at his feet and deny the yellow shirted striker a goal. As Baldwin cleared, the referee blew for full time to leave three thousand Leeds fans happy for the first ever time after their trip to North Essex.
Shot of the Match: Yeates had a first half curling effort from 25 yards whistle just the wrong side of the post.
Save of the Match: Cousins was alert late in the opening 45 minutes to get to deny Beckford. Two nil at the break would have been a very long way to come back from.
Moan of the Match: United lack that cutting edge in midfield that opens up defences at home. Izzet and Perkins are similar sort of players (and Hammond too but recent performances make him a shoe-in to the team) and today, we lacked that spark. Perhaps this was due to some tiredness after Tuesday's game at Millwall as we didn't seem to get in to them at any stage today.
Man of the Match: I don't know what game Neil Kelly of BBC Essex was watching when he gave MOTM to Mark Cousins, nor the sponsors who awarded their prize to Mark Yeates, but DEAN HAMMOND was head and shoulders above any U's player - and might well have won an overall match prize had there been one to win. Simply outstanding he was in the right place, at the right time but when necessary drove his side forward as much as he could. He for one did not deserve to be on the losing side today.
Colchester: Cousins, Maybury, Trotman, Baldwin, Tierney, Perkins (Hackney 62), Izzet, Hammond, Yeates (Gobern 83), Hawley (Vincent 72), Platt.
Subs Not Used: Gerken, White.
Booked: Izzet, Hackney.
Leeds: Ankergren, Douglas, Naylor, Sodje, Parker, Snodgrass (Hughes 88), Howson, Kilkenny (Robinson 78), Delph, Becchio (Dickinson 90), Beckford.
Subs Not Used: Lucas, Marques.
Booked: Naylor.
Goals: Becchio 29.
Att: 9,559
Ref: Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire).
