COLCHESTER United boss Phil Parkinson craves some national recognition for his team's league and cup achievements this season.The U's chalked up their 13th victory in 15 games with what Parkinson described as their best cup performance since his appointment, at Championship promotion-favourites Sheffield United.

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United boss Phil Parkinson craves some national recognition for his team's league and cup achievements this season.

The U's chalked up their 13th victory in 15 games with what Parkinson described as their best cup performance since his appointment, at Championship promotion-favourites Sheffield United.

“I look in some of the national newspapers and it's almost as if Colchester United don't exist,” revealed Parkinson after the 2-1 victory at Sheffield United.

“We have just beaten a top-two side in the Championship, and I hope that the national press finally give us some credit and some recognition.

“I thought we fully deserved to win. We started slowly for 15 minutes. As underdogs, we needed to raise our game above and beyond what is normally required to compete, and we didn't do that early on.

“But we then raised our game, and I always felt that we had the players to give them problems. We had at least seven clear-cut chances in the first-half.

“This was not a weakened Sheffield United team that we were playing. In fact, it was the team that we had predicted they would play, with just a few of the older players rested.

“Our five attacking players were a real handful for them, but I must also single out defender Pat Baldwin. Pat has not been in the team much this season, but he was a colossus for us at the back today.

“Gareth (Williams) has also been unlucky not to be in the team, but I told him that sooner or later his luck would change. Today was his day. He got us the winning goal, and it might be the moment that changes the course of his season.

“This was a crucial win for a club like ourselves. We have earned £40,000 in prize money, and also the anticipated gate receipts from the next game, so the chairman should be happy!

“I don't know about bringing in new players. My main priority is to keep hold of the ones I've got, and I think we'll manage to do that.

“We had more than 5,000 supporters against Nottingham Forest, and more than 1,000 travelled today. The town is starting to really get behind us,” added Parkinson.

Blades boss Neil Warnock had no qualms with the result. He admitted that Colchester were worthy winners.

“We started well, and we tried to get the win. If we had been given the penalty, when we were 1-0 up, than we might have got a cushion,” explained Warnock.

“But you have to give credit to Colchester. Their players were stronger than ours. The long throws gave us problems. We were not up to it today.

“We only had a couple of big lads in the side, while they seem to breed them big down at Colchester!

“If it had been Manchester United and not Colchester United we were playing, I would still have picked the same team, except for perhaps one injured player that I might have risked,” confessed Warnock.