I often sit and watch football and think what is it that makes the difference in games, what makes the difference between fairly equally matched players for one to come out on top and on the other hand what makes it possible for a team, seeming to have so much more quality than their opponents, actually perform worse over the season and be struggling below them in the league?
For a while now I’ve put it down to confidence and today was a perfect example of what confidence can do for you in this game and equally what a lack of it can also do to you.
Man for man Sunderland have better players than Colchester. That’s a fact. Virtually all of them have played premiership football, several are internationals and some have played in the champions league. Colchester don’t have such luxuries yet why are they above us in the league and why were we so poor today (again) until we got the first goal?
Confidence, it has to be. Colchester have just been promoted, punching above their weight and probably fear no-one. Sunderland are newly relegated, don’t have a winning mentality and seem to be very nervous at times. Sunderland lack confidence, Colchester don’t, the sides are therefore fairly equal.
This was borne out in the first half, despite dominating possession and Colchester giving us freedom of the pitch up to their own box they put 11 men behind the ball and there was no way through. Dwight Yorke regularly had the ball in his possession but could only see 11 white shirts ahead of him. His team-mates, probably lacking confidence, just didn’t make the runs and create the space required and dead ends were often run into.
It has to be said the formation that Keane started with didn’t help. He went in with 5 in midfield with Brown up front and Elliott wide on the right. Colchester were happy for our wide men to have it as they knew if a cross came in they had 8 or 9 in the box to defend it.
As the half grew so Sunderland’s confidence slowly grew. Elliott came more into the game and on the stroke of half time his turn and shot from the edge of the area put us 1 up. The perfect time to score, just on half time, players go in confident, so they should start the second half brightly then?
Well they did and for 25 minutes we controlled the game, we oozed confidence and looked a good side with good players. A nice move down the right gave Elliott a simple tap in for his 2nd. 3 and 4 should have followed. Colchester looked like a conference side, we looked like a Premiership side. All about confidence? Probably.
Brown, who had been booked for persistent fouling was brought off for Connolly and this brought about a massive change in the game. Suddenly we couldn’t win balls in the air, they smelt a weakness, and their confidence grew. We sat back as ours melted away and sure enough we conceded a soft goal. In the space of 5 minutes there had been a complete turnaround in performances. Colchester all of a sudden were looking like a side on the verge of the playoffs and we looked like a team of Premiership rejects who didn’t know how to win.
They missed 2 good chances to level then on the break Kavanaghs cross found Connolly in the middle who worked space for himself and, to the relief of everyone, got the goal to kill them off.
It turned out to be far harder than it should have been but it’s a welcome 3 points. How will Sunderland take this into the Wolves game now? Will they go full of confidence with a win behind them or will they go with memories of a nervy last 15 that most people will be talking about.
It seems the difference next week and the rest of the season will be confidence. If we can get some and keep it we are a decent side, without it we’ll lose to anyone.
Man of the match – Stephen Elliott
Report by marcopaul