Crawley Town's win over Colchester United could be a turning point

Ashley Nadesan in action against Colchester United. Picture by UK Sports Images Ltd/Jamie Evans

If you think it sounds like it was heavy going you are right on the button. Several callers to the iFollow commentary team thought a comfortable win was coming but I certainly didn’t. I anticipated a hard slog against a struggling Colchester side that proved as dour as their insipid olive green kit was unpalatable.

The Reds opened brightly boosted by the return of Jake Hesketh who was keen to get forward with the ball. Ashley Nadesan was also back and injected some pace into the proceedings but goal opportunities were limited and the impetus waned during the first half.

In the second we looked as if we were going nowhere but two substitutions tipped the balance again and Crawley attacked well in the closing stages. The winner came as a splendid debut goal for James Tilley when he latched onto a cut back from Tom Nichols and drove the ball home from 20 yards with great precision and purpose.

Reds ended up with a fully deserved three points but some other factors may have a more significant effect on their progress. Just five minutes into the game Frank Nouble crunched Tom Dallison with a very heavy (but unpunished) challenge which ended the defender’s contribution. Five minutes from time Nouble did the same to Tony Craig who could do no more than limp off leaving Reds to battle on with ten men.

I hope Nouble is proud of his afternoon’s work but referee Tom Nield certainly shouldn’t be. He was dubbed a hero because of his work for the NHS but his officiating was not up to scratch. Unlike the card happy Carl Brook who booked nine in Tuesday’s game against Stevenage Mr Nield’s problem was an inability to determine right from wrong further emphasising the poor standards of officiating in League Two.

Although I refereed for many years I’m not claiming to have been better but I can make good use of the replays we can see on iFollow. Check that with Jordan Tunnicliffe who was cautioned for a superb tackle that didn’t even raise a protest from the visitors. Maybe we should ask the officials why none of them reacted to a series of illegal throws by Miles Welch-Hayes who simply couldn’t keep both feet on the ground as the Laws require.

This game may prove to be a turning point and that could have been enhanced if Reds came back from their match with last placed Grimsby Town with a decent win and three more points.

Crawley Town's win over Colchester United could be a turning point - opinion