Harrogate Town 1 Colchester United 2: Rinse and repeat from predictable Sulphurites

Of all the disappointing performances Harrogate Town have served up in recent months, their display during Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to Colchester United has to be up their with the worst.
Alex Pattison, left, and Nathan Sheron trudge back to the halfway line after Harrogate Town's defence is breached for a second time during Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Colchester United. Pictures: Matt KirkhamAlex Pattison, left, and Nathan Sheron trudge back to the halfway line after Harrogate Town's defence is breached for a second time during Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Colchester United. Pictures: Matt Kirkham
Alex Pattison, left, and Nathan Sheron trudge back to the halfway line after Harrogate Town's defence is breached for a second time during Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Colchester United. Pictures: Matt Kirkham

Excellent for 20 minutes and deservedly leading through Jack Muldoon’s early strike, the Sulphurites somehow conspired to lose a game to opposition who offered very little as attacking force for the duration of the contest, but still ran out comfortable victors.

Simon Weaver’s men were able to dominate possession, though lacked sufficient quality in the final third to make it pay, while it was the same old story inside their own penalty area, where two poor goals were conceded.

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"The first half-an-hour was as well as we've played in a while, we looked great, we were in full flow. But unfortunately, it feels like we have been here 25 times this season where we have managed to lose a game from the jaws of victory," the Harrogate boss reflected.

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver, left, and his assistant, Paul Thirlwell, watch on from the sidelines.Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver, left, and his assistant, Paul Thirlwell, watch on from the sidelines.
Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver, left, and his assistant, Paul Thirlwell, watch on from the sidelines.

"It was there for the taking. We were under no stress today, they haven't had much territory or possession, but we have conceded two. It hurts when we come unstuck against, I'll be honest, sides like Colchester when they've just turned up, quite passive with their closing down, a slow-paced team on the ball.

"You're scratching your head thinking 'how can we be so in charge and look so good and still come off losing the game?'. But, we've been here before. Hartlepool at home, Bristol Rovers away, to mention just a couple

"It is a recurring theme, we will be under no pressure and one defender will switch off, and that's what happened with the first goal. The second is not picking up in the box, again, but on that occasion it is a midfield runner.

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"We were not ruthless enough at one end, not box-to-box enough in midfield, and at the back we weren't secure. I'm sick and tired of losing games like this."

The aforementioned bright start to proceedings could and probably should have seen Town take the lead with barely a minute on the clock.

Jack Diamond played Calum Kavanagh through on goal, however with just Shamal George to beat, the on-loan Middlesbrough striker opted to try and square the ball to Luke Armstrong and got his pass all wrong.

But, just two minutes later, the home side did get their noses in front. Armstrong found Muldoon unmarked on the edge of the penalty area, and despite a loose first touch, he was able to roll a right-footed finish across George and inside the far post.

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With Colchester struggling to live with their hosts and barely able to get a touch of the ball, Harrogate continued to threaten as Kavanagh and Armstrong both saw strikes blocked.

But, having offered precisely nothing going forwards for 21 minutes, the U’s got back on terms from their first attack of any note.

Former West Ham United striker Freddie Sears was played in behind the home defence by Noah Chilvers and lifted an expert finish over the sprawling Mark Oxley.

Conceding that goal visibly knocked the stuffing out of Town and the tempo and purpose of their early play soon evaporated to be replaced by hopeful, long-ball football.

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With the visitors still struggling to make any impression on the contest when in possession, the teams looked set to go into half-time on level terms until Colchester struck again out of nowhere.

Sears got free down the left and was able to pull the ball back from close to the byline and pick out Chilvers, who finished first time from close range.

The second period began with Ryan Fallowfield bursting forwards from right-back and drawing a decent stop out of George, Cameron Coxe then sliding in just in the nick of time to prevent Armstrong from pouncing on the loose ball.

Town continued to see plenty of the ball, though despite getting into the Colchester third on plenty of occasions, they lacked sufficient quality to really open the U’s up.

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George Thomson did see one sweetly-struck effort from 20 yards superbly tipped over by George as the away team dropped deeper and deeper, showing their limitations by resorting to kicking the ball aimlessly towards halfway in a bid to relieve the pressure.

It was however the visitors who went closest to adding to their tally in the closing stages, Luke Hannant drawing an excellent point-blank save out of Oxley when he met Sears' cross from the right at the far post.

Five minutes of stoppage-time then came and went without Harrogate really troubling George as yet another home fixture ended in disappointing fashion for the Wetherby Road faithful.

Defeat keeps Town 16th in the League Two standings, 13 points clear of the relegation zone with six games remaining.