Monday, 12 March 2012

Wycombe Wanderers 0 Colchester United 0

Nikki Bull went from zero to hero in seconds to earn relegation candidates Wycombe a valuable point.

Steven Gillespie should have sealed a win for play-off hopefuls Colchester in the 53rd minute when he charged down Bull's clearance, but the Wycombe stopper made amends by blocking the striker's follow up shot with his chest.

But Wycombe cranked up the pressure as the game wore on.

In the 53rd minute, midfielder Stuart Lewis had keeper Ben Williams scrambling across his goal to save a 25 yard shot.

And central defenders Dave Winfield and Charlton loanee Gary Doherty both came close with headers in the dying stages.

Colchester's leading marksman Anthony Wordsworth saw action at both ends before the break.

In the 16th minute eleven goal winger Wordsworth chested a header from Winfield off his own line, but then seven minutes later saw his shot come off Doherty and hit the Wycombe post.

Colchester chief John Ward was pleased with the point and his team's fourth clean sheet in five games. He joked:

"The Chairman can go off and enjoy his skiing holiday now.

Whilst we haven't been able to win this game, we're looking very strong. We've hit a spell at the moment where everyone's prepared to put in a good shift and the guys are enjoying it. We're in a good position. 
My back four and my goalkeeper were once again very strong and very solid. I think that’s one goal conceded in the last five games and we’re really pleased about that."

Gary Waddock, boss of relegation candidates Wycombe, was encouraged by his team's first scoreless draw of the campaign and said: 

"I played under John (at Bristol Rovers) and so know how well organised his teams an be.

I thought we might snatch a win, but it wasn't to be and it was probably a fair result. The players have dug in and showed everybody how much they want to put the situation right. We now need to transfer what we are doing here a home into our away fixtures.



We've been Jekyll and Hyde, but we've turned up again today and put in a performance. If they continue to perform like that, it gives us a chance to pick up points." 
 

Meanwhile John White is looking forward to mixing clean sheets and dirty nappies for the rest of the season.

U's defender White, 25, helped shut out the opposition for the fourth time in five games before rushing off to hospital to pick up new born son Jacob.

And the new dad revealed:

"It's been a bizarre couple of days. We had to get to hospital early on Friday morning and spent the day having cuddles. As soon as the warm up started I was in football mode, but I'm back in baby mode now. I'm in a happy daze now the game's over and can't wait to pick him up, get him home and be put on nappy duty."

And White hopes that Colchester can still make a push for the play-offs. He said:

"It's nice to be seen as the underdogs in the run in. It takes the pressure off and so we'll take each game as it comes and see where it takes us."

Midfielder Matt Bloomfield believes that Wycombe should build on the draw as the club attempts to beat the drop. He said:

"Confidence should be building in the squad now on the back of two good results. We should take a lot of self belief from of this result and target four points at least from our next two games."
My clipping from yesterday's edition

My clipping from this morning's paper





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