Albion hung on for the three points after battering the Colchester goal for much of the game. Albion were again unchanged as Nathan Ellington passed a late fitness test:
West Bromwich Albion (4-4-2)
Zuberbuhler, Watson, C Davies, Perry, Robinson, Gera (Carter 61), Wallwork (Albrechtsen 76), Quashie, Greening, Hartson, Ellington (Chaplow 64).
Subs not used: Steele (GK), Inamoto.
Colchester United (4-4-2)
Davidson, Halford, Brown, Richards (Baldwin 82), Barker, Garcia, Izzet (Guy 82), Watson, Duguid, Iwelumo, Cureton.
Suns not used: Gerken (GK), White, King.
Booked: Albion – Quashie (35), Hartson (40), Wallwork (68)
Referee: P Taylor (Hertfordshire)
Nathan Ellington and Ronnie Wallwork scored for the Baggies in a game that Albion should have won comfortably but made their fans sweat due to a complete lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
The Baggies were caught napping early on when Jamie Cureton latched onto Chris Iwelumo`s clever pass but the former Norwich and Bristol Rovers striker smashed his shot passed Pascal Zuberbuhler`s post. It was a wake up call for the Baggies as they looked to take the game to Colchester.
Albion took the game to Colchester went in front in the eleventh minute from the penalty spot after Big John Hartson went down under pressure from Wayne Brown, Nathan Ellington cooly slotting home the penalty for his first goal of the season, the striker had come close to giving Albion a sensational lead a little earlier when his powerful shot was tipped over the bar in spectacular fashion by Davidson.
With the Baggies on top Colchester were chasing shadows for much of the half but again Albion`s domination and goals scored did not add up, Albion are desperately seeking replacements for one of the weakest forward-lines in the division. The Baggies are struggling up-front and should have buried Colchester in the first-half.
Bryan Robson`s side should have finished the U`s off and missed a host of chances in the first-half. Ellington, Curtis Davies and Paul Robinson were all guilty of missing chances in the first-half with Davidson performing heroics in the U`s goal.
Albion had to wait until four-minutes before the break for their second of the afternoon with midfielder Ronnie Wallwork finishing off a flowing move for his first of the season. The midfielder linked up well with Steve Watson and passed the ball past Davidson to put us two up.
A half where Albion dominated play and should have been at least four goals to the good at half-time, but again the Baggies struggled to finish off the opposition due to a lack of firepower and cutting edge up-front.
The second-half told a completely different story as Albion seemed to sit back and Colchester looked like they had changed to whole side at half-time. The U`s started brightly and looked like a completely different outfit. The Baggies on the other hand seemed to lose concentration and a lot of the pressure was self-inflicted by Albion who were unable to keep hold of the ball.
The U`s came close to scoring just after the restart when Zuberbuhler failed to hold onto Richard Garcia`s shot and the rebound fell back to the striker who bundled the ball over the bar. Wayne Brown attempted to make amends for his earlier mistake that gave away the penalty but he saw his goalbound effort rebound off the woodwork,
Bryan Robson decided to replace Ellington just after the hour with midfielder Richard Chaplow, where were these rookie strikers that Robson had sounded out earlier in the week? According to the manager Stuart Nicholson, Rob Elvins and Michael Nardiello are prepared if they are needed, but where were they? It would have been ideal for the Baggies to blood at least one of the rookie strikers during the second-half and with no disrespect to Colchester this is the one game you would want to bring them into.
It makes you wonder whether the manager does rate these young players, he talks them up during the week and then decides not to include any of them in the match day squad. Bringing a midfielder on for a striker is a ridiculous predicament to find yourself in and Albion were made to pay when Colchester pulled a goal back through substitute Jamie Guy with one of his first touches.
Albion held on for the three-points but our inability to finish off teams is a worry, as well as a lack of fire-power. Albion dominated for large parts of this game but were still holding on at the end for the three-points. Albion had a total of 18 corners but only eight shots on the Colchester goal. Albion need to be sharper in front of goal and Bryan Robson and Jeremy Peace need to sort out our striker shortage this week, they have 10 days to get two strikers in, there will be no excuses good enough for us Baggies fans if they don`t do it.
Still Unbeaten but still desperately lacking up front. We all know the funds are there and it is obvious that we are crying out for reinforcements up front. Mr Robson and Mr Peace MUST get adequate cover in to avoid big problems on the pitch should Ellington or Hartson get injured.
There is also many fans staying away from the Hawthorns. 17,509 is the lowest league gate for at least 3 years and the only way fans will start coming back is if the Mr Peace shows ambition and avoids another January style shambles – the fans need a signing to inspire them back into the Hawthorns.
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