By Jemma Tappenden
March 30 2008

West Brom started the day in 5th place, a win making it possible for them to move up to third should Hull City and Watford produce a draw at the KC Stadium. Colchester on the other hand started the day firmly rooted at the foot of the table and some eleven points off safety. A win for them would still see them stuck to the bottom. Mowbray made two changes to the side which drew at Charlton.

Pele and Ishmael Miller dropped to the bench, whilst Brunt and Bednar were returned to the starting line up.  Morrison was also named as a substitute after making sufficient progress from the ankle injury which had kept him sidelined for a couple of weeks, and he was joined by Neil Clement, fresh back from loan with Hull City.

 

The Baggies got off to a tremendous start, and could have takes the lead as early as 20 seconds after kick off.  Colchester right back Phil Ifil slipped with the ball during an attempted clearance from Phillips’ cross.  He played the ball straight into the path of Brunt, who was only narrowly over from his 12 yard smash.

 

Colchester were forced into a substitution after only five minutes when Pat Baldwin limped off and was replaced by Adam Virgo in defence.  Desperate for points it was clear that the visitors were not afraid to get forward, even in this tough away fixture at the Hawthorns.

 

In the 10^th minute the U’s showed the Baggies that they could be a threat despite their league position when Kevin Lisbie was only inches away from John White’s cross.  And then Colchester did stun the Baggies, scoring twice in as many minutes to give themselves a two goal advantage lead.

 

In the 14^th minute the Albion defence were at sixes and sevens when Dean Hammond floated in a left wing free kick.  Failing to clear the danger Coyne was allowed to produce a spectacular over head bicycle kick to fire home from just 6 yards.  Two minutes later Ifil lifted in a challenging cross which Dean Kiely could only palm to the edge of the box where a waiting Elito controlled well and smashed a ferocious shot straight into the top left corner.

 

After the initial shock had worn off, the Baggies regrouped, and Colchester were struggling to get out of their own half.  Albion nearly pulled one back in the 22^nd minute, by Kevin Phillips’ superb 25 yard effort somehow rebound off the U’s keeper’s back and rolled out for a corner.

 

Despite the scoreline Albion were now applying serious pressure on the Championships bottom side, and in the 36^th minute patient play and build up paid off when Carl Hoefkens floated in a delightful ball to a waiting Phillips, who tucked the ball home at an unmanned near post for his 22^nd goal of the season.

 

Three minutes later it was two each, a superb solo effort from Brunt as he cut infield and across the Colchester box before smashing home a 25 yard effort at the near post which left U’s goalkeeper Gerken no chance whatsoever.  Albion searched for the lead as the half time break approached, Gerken pulling off super saves from both Phillips and Koren to deny them the lead.

 

Half Time: West Bromwich Albion 2-2 Colchester United.

 

There were half time changes for both sides, Kem Izzet replacing U’s scorer Elito and Neil Clement making his return for Albion in place of Bostjan Cesar.  Albion started the half as they had finished the first, and it took an acrobatic goal line clearance from Ifil to deny Gera from Greening’s corner.  The loose ball then fell to Clement, bus he shot wide from 15 yards.

 

In the 53^rd minute Albion wasted what was easily their best chance of the half when an inch perfect cross from Gera was miscued by Roman Bednar from just 6 yards.  Just moments later Bednar had chance to correct his mistake when Gera supplied him with another delightful cross.  This time he was denied by Gerken.

 

The 56^th minute brought action of another kind.  Colchester boss Geraint Williams was dismissed to the stand by the referee after comments he had made to the forth official.  Albion thought they should have had a penalty in the 62^nd minute when Kevin Phillips was seemingly grounded by Coyne in the box, but their protests were waved away.

 

Colchester it seemed had learnt some harsh defensive lessons in the first half, and indeed their defence had become a lot harder to penetrate in the second, so in the 71^st minute Mowbray made the tactical switch of defender for striker as Hoefkens was replaced by Miller.

 

Just five minutes later it looked like the tactical change was going to punish Albion, as Colchester United took the lead again.  A left wing corner caused chaos amongst the Albion defence, allowing Lisbie to fire home from close range in what had been the U’s first goal scoring chance of the half.

 

The next 15 minutes proved a bit of a nightmare for the Baggies as Colchester enjoyed what was easily their best spell of the game aside their goals.  As time ran out it looked to all as if Albion’s promotion hopes were going to be seriously dented by the division’s bottom side.

 

But in the 90^th minute substitute Morrison levelled the scores to 3-3 after he collected a pass from Brunt to net the ball in a super 20 yard strike.  And the drama did not end there.  Just as Baggies fans began to breathe a sigh of relief at having grabbed a point they snatched all three, as a 93^rd minute Brunt cross was converted by Roman Bednar.

 

The U’s were to have one final chance to salvage a point, in the 94^th minute Martin Albrechtsen produced a fine goal line clearance from Scott Vernon’s effort, ensuring that all three points stayed in the Midlands.  Colchester United must be wondering what more they need to do than score three away goals to survive in this division.

 

Full Time: West Bromwich Albion 4-3 Colchester United.

 

Phillips (36)

 

Brunt(39)

 

Morrison (90)

 

Bednar (90+3)

 

Coyne (14)

 

Elito (16)

 

Lisbie (76)

 

Attendance: 20,433.