Ok so I made the game after all.
We started brightly, dominating most of the possession for the first 20 minutes without really having any end product. Then Colchester started cutting through us like we were nothing... for ten minutes I don't know how they didn't score a bagful, but was grateful that they didn't.
Goodison was beaten a few times for pace by their number 15, who was quick, but luckily for us had forgotten his shooting boots. Cresswell, McLaren and Welsh gave the ball away more times than I can count... and I can't believe the criticism levelled at Carole for not going forward enough... he did what no other player on our team seemed capable of doing, and that was making a pass to another Tranmere player!!
So half an hour gone, no score and we went to long ball football. It worked!! 5 minutes of ding-dong football, a couple of chances for them, a couple of chances for us.. We scored! Yeah it was a scrappy little scuffle in the area, but we got the ball in the net and that was what mattered.
But about 1 minute later - if as long as that - we'd let one in. Kick off, midfield and defence nowhere to be seen and they walked it into the net. Schoolboy stuff. Clearly something is fundamentally flawed with the Tranmere team, and anyone who says otherwise must have mental difficulties.
So for the next 10 minutes we're under the cosh again, almost all the play in and around our box, loads of free kicks and corners and crosses to deal with... and this is the most painful thing I take away from the game today, every single cross.. every one... no Tranmere player attacked the ball, no Tranmere player picked up their man, we were stood like statues time and time again. So anyway, I wasn't counting but I think Colchester missed about five or so FREE HEADERS. The reaction from our players was symptomatic of the problems in the dressing room, they started fighting with Colchester players at every opportunity, DISGRACEFUL. We should have been miles behind and I think everyone was grateful for half time when it came.
Second half was instantly forgettable. Started with us kicking it straight out of play, and that about summed it up for me. Lots of fouls by both sides, crap refereeing (but what's new there), Daniels made a few average stops but never once managed to catch the thing it's his job to catch, no goals thanks to their players shooting wide when clean through on goal, not thanks to any good defending by ourselves.
Oh the main talking point of the second half really for me was the very strange use of substitutes.. Carole who looked to be our most creative player going forward taken off for Mahon, then Thomas-Moore replaced by Curran, and lastly Bain for Ricketts. What's odd about it all is that Ricketts had looked shattered by the second half, yet stayed on until 85 minutes, while Moore who was much more involved in the game was take off after 65. Bain only gets 5 minutes.. which isn't long enough if he's going to make a difference... my assumption is that he's rubbish and won't anyway, but no way to tell yet, as 5 minutes isn't enough.
Another thing that's annoyed me, while I'm in rant mode, is that in the last 19 years I've watched Tranmere, they've been one of the few teams that always displayed sportsmanship.. taking free kicks and throw ins, in the correct place, giving the ball back to the opposition if it's their ball etc etc. I don't know if it's a specific instruction that Barnes has given in desperation to steal every inch you can and act like assholes on the pitch, but I very very much doubt he has enough respect from or control over the players to lead them in that direction.. much more likely is that he has lost all control over them. It makes me SICK.
We could have stolen it in the last five minutes, but I think on balance it would have been utterly undeserved, especially as we could also have lost this game by quite a margin. Draw a fair result... gives us a point towards survival.