Tierney believes U's are in the mix

Carl Marston

Our eyes are set on the

play-offs - Tierney

By Carl Marston

FOURTEEN games to go and Colchester United's new goal-hero, Marc Tierney, believes that the U's are still in the mix for a play-off berth.

Paul Lambert's men are now eight points adrift of the top six, following Tuesday night's 1-0 home win over Stockport County, which was achieved courtesy of Tierney's 17th minute winner.

The odds are still stacked against the U's extending their season beyond the regular 46 league games. United would probably still need to accumulate 31 points from a possible 42 during the final 14 fixtures.

But that does not faze Tierney. The ex-Shrewsbury Town left-back is still looking onwards and upwards.

“We are all hoping to go on another run again,” insisted Tierney, following his first goal in a U's shirt against County. It was only the second goal of his career.

“Stockport are a very good, strong side. I've seen them several times this season, and we were definitely feeling a bit flat after losing to Southend (1-0 last Saturday).

“The lads were feeling very down, because we so desperately wanted to put one over our local rivals.

“That's why I think we showed a lot of character to bounce back against Stockport. We bounced back in style.

“Now we want to make sure that this is not just a one-off result. We want to go again and I've set my eyes firmly on us getting into the play-offs.

“We genuinely believe that we can go on another run, like the one before (one defeat in 13 games). You have to believe in yourself.

“I think we are a good side, and we showed that in patches against Stockport. The games are coming thick and fast, which is a good thing,” added Tierney.

The one disappointment was the poor crowd - just 3,179 turned up on Tuesday evening, a far cry from the 8,651 that watched the Essex derby just three days earlier.

But there were many encouraging signs to come from this latest win, not least the impressive performance of full debutant Simon Hackney down the wing, and Jimmy Walker's breathtaking save to deny Stockport defender Johnny Mullins an equaliser just three minutes after Tierney's goal.

“Simon (Hackney) is a good player with good movement. I played with him at Carlisle (on loan) earlier in the season,” continued Tierney.

“All he kept saying was - “give me the ball!” - and I thought both he and Mark Yeates were great down the wings for us. The 4-3-3 formation worked well.

“We have some good attacking flair in the side, with good width, and we kept our shape well against Stockport.

“Jimmy Walker also made a great save. He's not just a good shot-stopper; he is a terrific character to have around in the dressing room.

“Of course I'm so pleased to have scored my first goal for Colchester. It was a great ball in from Kem (Izzet) and I just stuck my head on it. I don't score many, so it was a collector's item,” added Tierney.

The U's entertain Hartlepool on Saturday, before they embark on a tough next few weeks - four of their six matches in March are away from home, all against teams above them in the table.

IN FACT FILE

MARC Tierney scored only his second career goal on Tuesday night, and both of the 23-year-old's goals have been close-range headers.

Tierney's first goal was for his former club Shrewsbury Town, against visiting Dagenham & Redbridge on December 15, 2007. He headed home a cross from winger Marc Pugh, and 14 months later he was again in the right place to nod home Kem Izzet's cross against Stockport.

But whereas Tuesday night's goal was to prove crucial, being the match-winner in a 1-0 win, his effort for the Shrews was not so vital - it was their fourth in a comfortable 4-0 win over the Daggers.