Match report

Thanks to Gareth Keens hospitality, I had the opportunity to watch today's match from the other side of the pitch in the executive boxes, along with visiting American guests Tony Santore and Ted Jones.

Kenny Jackett kept faith with the side that started against Scunthorpe and lined up

An end to end game which could have gone either way resulted perhaps fairly in a draw. Make no mistake, this is a very different looking Colchester side to the one that the Swans swept aside in August and I would probably say, they looked the best visiting side I have seen this season.

After only 13 minutes we had the opportunity to see why our visitors had won 8 straight games. A Jamie Cureton pass from the right was finished off by Chris Iwelumo right-footed into the bottom corner of the net from about 12 yards out. Willy might well have been disappointed at being beaten on his near post, but was certainly to make up for any error later in the game.

My only criticism of this useful Colchester side would be from this point on, they employed infuriating time wasting tactics which really should have been dealt with by the referee.

On the half hour mark, Lee Trundle earned a foul on the edge of the penalty area, which Andy Robinson did well to get up over the wall and down from 18 yards out.

Swansea finished the half stronger and had a number of further half chances falling to Trundle and Tudur Jones, however the first half ended with the scores level.

The Swans started the second half in the same manor as they'd finished the first and an excellent run and shot from Leon Britton from 25 yards was tipped round post by Davison the Colchester keeper.

But the Swans best chance of taking the 3 points was yet to come. On around the hour mark, an excellent Trundle cross was met by Adebayo Akinfenwa from the centre of penalty area, 6 yards out. Either side of the keeper and it surely would have been 2-1. Unfortunately for us, the ball was headed straight at the keeper who gratefully caught the ball.

The Swans could not keep up this momentum and Colchester slowly edged their way back into the game. With about 10 minutes left, Alan Tate fouled Colchester striker Chris Iwelumo and handed Phil Parkinson's men the perfect chance to make it nine straight wins.

After some delaying tactics of our own to build up the pressure, (Garry Monk was booked for dissent during these antics), Willy spent an age cleaning his clean boots on the post - and with the whole East Bank hooting and hollering Neil Danns placed his penalty right-footed to the bottom-left of the goal, which was excellently saved by Gueret.

So, a point gained and with other results going our way, we have even increased our lead at the top.
Swansea: Gueret, Ricketts, Iriekpen, Tate, Monk, Britton (Goodfellow 78), Martinez, Robinson (Forbes 78), Trundle, Tudur-Jones, Akinfenwa (Connor 60).
Subs Not Used: Austin, O'Leary.

Booked: Monk, Forbes.

Goals: Robinson 30.

Colchester: Davison, Halford, Brown, Chilvers, Stockley, White, Danns, Yeates (Duguid 72), Watson, Iwelumo, Cureton (Garcia 80).
Subs Not Used: Izzet, Baldwin, Gerken.

Booked: Halford, Chilvers.

Goals: Iwelumo 13.

Att: 13,230

Ref: M Jones (Cheshire).

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