U's 0-1 Crewe - Report

Colchester saw their five-match unbeaten run abruptly ended as Crewe won 1-0 at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Calvin Zola scored the only goal, midway through the second-half, in a lacklustre game.

The U`s begun the game on the front foot, but failed to take advantage of a number of chances. Wingers Simon Hackney and Mark Yeates both had effort towards The Alex goal.

Full-back Marc Tierney also saw his low drilled effort go narrowly wide, inside ten minutes.

Shortly later, midfield man Kem Izzet collected a Hackney pass and his skilful chip forced a top-class save from John Ruddy in the visiting goal.

Just past the half-hour mark Crewe`s Gylfi Sigurdsson test Mark Cousins in the U`s goal, from a dead ball.

On 40 minutes, Hackney departed the field with an injury and Scott Vernon replaced him, as Yeates switched to the left wing.

A while into the second period and the diminutive David Perkins saw his low drive turned around the upright by Ruddy.

Following a corner, the ex-Rochdale man went close again, this time from close range, after collecting Chris Coyne`s cross and firing away a shot.

However, up the other end Crewe went ahead as Zola did well to hold off his marker before turning the ball past U`s stopper Cousins.

It could have been two minutes later but Cousins was sharply off his line to save at the feet Clayton Donaldson.

With twenty minutes to go, Johnnie Jackson, returning from nearly two months out injured, came on for Izzet, as Paul Lambert attempted to turn the U`s fortunes.

Alex midfielder Joel Grant powered a rising shot high over the bar as the away side looked to seal the win, as the game drew to a close.

The U`s failed to create any clear-cut chances in the final minutes of the game, as The Alex moved further clear of the drop-zone. The result sees the U`s drop down to 11th place in League One.

U's: Cousins, Maybury (Wordsworth), Baldwin, Coyne, Tierney, Perkins, Izzet (Jackson), Hammond, Yeates, Hackney (Vernon), Platt.

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