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Rangers got back to winning ways with a scrappy performance to overcome Colchester United at Loftus Road. Coming off the back of one point from two away games the result was far more important than the performance and this win combined with other results saw a nice five points cushion appear.
Holloway kept faith with the majority of the side that had snatched a late draw at Notts County on Boxing Day. Chris Day continued in goal behind a back four of Forbes, Carlisle, Shittu and Padula. The only change came in midfield with Bean replacing Palmer to link up with Rowlands, Bircham and McLeod. Gallen and Thorpe's fruitful partnership was maintained in attack.
Colchester started the game far more brightly than most visiting teams do at Loftus Road. They looked as though they had come to play rather than camp round the box and wait for a point to be handed to them. Craig Fagan, on loan from Birmingham City, fired a shot over Day's bar with only a few minutes played. Moments later and Martin Rowlands was testing the reflexes of Brown in the Colchester goal with a low left footer that needed tipping past the post.
Just a minute later and Rangers hit the front with a centre half playing like a winger for the second game in a row. A ball into the box was cleared into the air and Dan Shittu found himself wide on the left with time to get the ball down. Taking his cue from Carlisle against Notts County he surged past the full back before cutting the ball back into the path of Gallen. This was a simple chance for Gallen and he made no mistake, simply side footing the ball home with Brown helpless to intervene.
The man the fans, and probably most of his family come to that, love to hate then entered the fray. Scott McGleish suffered a clash of heads and Wayne Andrews took his place. He set his stall out early on with a ridiculous dive over the outstretched Day in an attempt to con the ref into giving a penalty.
Colchester were certainly not lying down in the face of adversity and Fagan once again tested Day with a volley. This time Marcus Bean threw himself in the way and the ball looped lazily into Day's hands. Rangers surged back to the other end of the field and Gallen and Padula combined to carve out a chance for Bircham. The blue haired midfield generalissimo lashed a fierce shot just wide of Brown's upright.
The game had been tetchy up until now with a series on niggling challenges coming in from both sides. A clash just outside the Colchester area would see it well and truly explode. Bircham and Johnson challenged for a ball with Johnson seeming to catch Bircham in the stomach. The Rangers man hit the deck and as he did Colchester skipper Karl Duguid launched himself into a vicious two-footed challenge that sparked a twenty-man hand bagging session. When order was restored referee Evans had little option but to allow Duguid first use of the bath water. It seemed that from this point Evans took pity on Colchester and it was almost half an hour until he awarded Rangers another freekick!
Having dusted himself off Bircham went close again with a drive from just outside the box that had Brown scrambling across goal. Just before the break Colchester won a freekick when Bircham callously attacked Izzet's elbow with his face just outside the box. Evans no doubt thought that the troll like Izzet could not possibly reach the face of a normal sized man with his arm so it must have been a foul by Bircham. The intricate routine, which saw almost every member of the Colchester side run over the ball at some point, ended with Fagan smashing the ball straight into the wall.
As many expected Rangers struggled to come to terms with ten man Colchester after the restart. A spell of almost constant pressure lead to them winning throw after throw on the Ellerslie Road side of the pitch, as Rangers could not clear the danger adequately. This spell ended with Izzet lashing a shot over the bar following good approach play from right back Sam Stockley. They were made to pay for this miss when Rangers grabbed a fortuitous second after 57 minutes.
Chris Day launched a howitzer of a clearance upfield and it seemed there would be little danger as a result. After a quick yes, no, maybe session by the Colchester centre backs they decided it would be better if nobody went for it and Tony Thorpe didn't need asking twice. He nipped in to send a lobbed header over Brown and in for one of the most route one goals the footballing world has ever seen.
The game was becoming more fractious by the minute now and Fagan and Andrews seemed to be at the centre of most of the issues. Time and again they got little change out of Shittu and Carlisle and any efforts to drop deep were knocked on the head by the imposing figure of Bircham. Perhaps if these two mouthy gobshites spent a bit more time trying to play rather than bitch and moan then Colchester may have got something from the game.
Neither team were playing pretty football now and the match had almost descended into a "Who can kick it the highest" competition. With Big Dan in the ranks there was only likely to be one winner and he sent a few wild ones up into the cold White City sky, including one off the outside of his left boot that only just missed Day's top left hand corner. He was not having one of his better days and seemed to be carrying the knock he picked up on Boxing Day. Luckily Carlisle alongside him was in majestic form and easily carried his mate through.
As the final whistle loomed large Gallen very nearly added a third that may have been a bit harsh on Colchester. Latching onto a neat flick from Thorpe he smashed a volley straight at Brown that was held at the second attempt. Anywhere else and it would have been a certain goal for the R's skipper. At the other end Day was equally alert when Rowan Vine, who spent last season on loan at Brentford, stung his hands with a drive that was also spilled. Luckily Daisy was alert enough to get down and smother the ball to avert any danger.
Just minutes before the end Bircham was forced off of the field following a crude challenge from Fagan. The referee saw it but didn't deem it worthy of any action. A minute later and he was at it again, this time with an elbow into Padula's face. Fagan once again escaped punishment from this embarrassment of a referee when Colchester could easily have been staring a second sending off in the face.
The final whistle sent another 15,000+ crowd home satisfied with the win if not delirious about the display. I certainly wont be asking for the video of this one for Christmas next year but as I said at the start, after a poor haul in the last two games the result was the important factor here. The five-point cushion must now be maintained against the twin threat of both Rushden and Diamonds next Saturday and I for one think that it most definitely will be.
simon@qprnet.com
