‘We could have been there until Christmas and not scored!’ – Colchester United boss Joe Dunne
Colchester United boss Joe Dunne despairs as Sheffield United score in the 87th minute to win 1-0 last night - Credit: Sarah Lucy brown
Colchester United’s lean run was extended to just one point from 12, by a late Sheffield United winner at the Community Stadium last night.
Substitute Chris Porter successfully converted an 87th minute penalty, after Freddie Sears had upended Ben Davies, to secure a belated but deserved 1-0 win for the Blades.
“We haven’t played well tonight, but it was a goal from the penalty spot deep into the game that beat us,” explained manager Joe Dunne.
“I suppose you could say we almost got a point, but a point would probably be unjust, because we didn’t play well.
“Overall, we didn’t deserve anything out of the match really, and it WAS a penalty – it was a forward (Sears) in a position to tackle.
“It’s just disappointing, because as badly as we played, we are just not getting any breaks at the moment.
“We had managed to stay in the game somehow, but things are going against us just lately.
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“I’m not going to sugar-coat anything. A point tonight would have been a very, very, very good point.
“But we mustn’t be too-down-heartened. We were just off our game. When the going gets tough, you have to support your players.
“We have to pull our socks up and move on,” added Dunne.
The U’s failed to muster a shot on target throughout the evening, a worrying statistic for manager Dunne.
But the Irishman added: “That’s unlike us, not to have a shot on target. Usually, our shots ratio is good.
“I had three strikers on the pitch, but there’s no point in having them on the pitch if the service up to them is non-existent.
“There were too many aimless balls from the back to the front. I thought we were better in the second half, we stifled Sheffield United more. But we could have been there until Christmas and not scored!”
