Hereford United 0 (0) Colchester United (2) 2
Edgar Street, April 18 2009
Att: 2,100
Yeates 36, Beckwith 43 o.g.
Colchester United`s double, inspired by an electric Mark Yeates, ended Hereford`s one-season stay in League One when the U`s won on Saturday.
Dean Gerken was left largely untroubled in goal for the visiting side as they ended a winless run of five matches, encouragingly winning without several important players. Misfit striker Akanni-Sunday Wasiu deputised during the injury crisis, and youngster Sam Corcoran made his league debut as a substitute.
“It was good, considering we are makeshift at the moment. The lads that came in have done well,” U`s manager, Paul Lambert, told the BBC. The Scot said he would have expected his side to convert even more chances.
It was Yeates, the club`s top-scorer this season with twelve this season, who both wrote and stole the headlines here.
Colchester`s wing wonder did come in for a little criticism from Lambert at full-time, despite his manager`s admission that Yeates was in overall “fine” form.
He hit the post almost from the first whistle and broke the deadlock shortly before half-time with a stunning solo free-kick. The Irishman, who infamously professed to not practicing with a dead ball, fired an arrow-like effort through the middle of the goal. It whizzed effortlessly past Peter Gulacsi from the left-hand edge of the penalty area. Yeates was playing in a withdrawn role due to an absence of attackers.
It was his strong work on the opposite side that saw the lead doubled before half-time.
Yeates` mistaken shot was unintentionally a crossfield ball, headed into the net. Dean Beckwith`s head was the unlikely source of United`s second goal.
“There`s no doubt he`s goal ability,” added Lambert, on the afternoon`s virtuoso performer.
He went on: “With a bit more consistency, he`d be one heck of a player. I think you get players like that, you always frustrate you. They`ve got the capability of being absolutely brilliant.”
With no other standout faces, Yeates was bound to get all the plaudits in this story, although even he quietened down in the second half.
There were no other standout mentions, except the sub-plot that Kem Izzet took the captain`s armband ahead of official club skipper Chris Coyne, even though both played the full match.
As for Hereford, they were awful, to a man, conceding what their manager called “stupid goals.”
It was a deserved halt to Colchester`s loosing run. Three points gained, at last.
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Sounds like Yeates had a good game, good goal too. Up the U’s!