On Saturday lunchtime, top-of-the-table Mansfield Town welcomed Colchester United the One Call Stadium, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw. It was expected that the Stags would gain another three routine points as they aimed to build on the 5-1 humiliation they handed out to Bradford City last weekend.
Colchester looked to silence the home crown early on and took the lead through winger Harry Anderson, on loan from Stevenage, with his first goal for the club. Town equalised in the second half with defender Lewis Brunt grabbing his second of the season. But what did we learn from the stalemate in Nottinghamshire?
Colchester United Have Turned It Around Under The Cowley’s
Colchester have turned their poor form around since the duo arrived in January and have lost just twice in their past 10 games. They’d lost 17 of the first 27 games before that.
Colchester United's form since Danny & Nicky Cowley took over in January:
— The Real EFL (@RealEFLSocial) March 23, 2024
DDWDLDDDLDD
They might not win many, but they don't lose many either. #ColU
Danny and Nicky appear to have the players believing in themselves again and have taken 11 points to help them climb out of the relegation places.
A few more draws turned into wins and the U’s could well cement that position.
Mansfield Town Are Formidable At Home
Mansfield have lost just twice in 19 games at home all season, making Field Mill somewhat of a fortress. If Nigel Clough’s men do go up to League One, this could be a key factor in their potential survival. They’ve lost just six across the whole season which is impressive stuff when you consider they’ve played 39 games.
Keeping players such as Davis Keillor-Dunn, Tom Nicholls and Will Swan will hopefully help to gain goals and continue the consistency they’ve set in League Two in a higher league too.
Arthur Read and Ali Smith Don’t Belong In League Two
The young pair have shored up Colchester’s midfield. A lot of the pulling of the strings fell to Read before January before the Cowley’s signed Ali Smith on loan from their previous club Lincoln City.
Read now has nine goal involvements this season, making him the third-highest scorer for the club. Lincoln, meanwhile, have given with one hand and taken away with the other.
The League One club took Joe Taylor, who was the U’s top scorer with 11 goals in January, but did let Colchester borrow Smith. He was deemed surplus to requirements at the time, although that could have changed now. Smith has scored one goal in nine games since his arrival, but more impressively, his pass completion rate is at 79%, according to Sofascore.
Be the first to comment