Furious Colchester boss Joe Dunne tore into his defence for a ‘mad two minutes’ after they lost 2-1 to the Cobblers in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy at Sixfields on Tuesday night.
The Irishman was in a state of shock that his side managed to lose a game they dominated for the first 50 minutes.
The Us led 1-0 thanks to Freddie Sears’ crisp first-half strike, and could have had more but for some wasteful finishing and some crucial saves from comeback goalkeeper Shane Higgs prior to his wirhdrawal due to concussion just before the break.
Dunne declared that Colchester had ‘ripped Northampton apart’ in what felt like a ‘training game’ for his side in the opening 45 minutes, only for two defensive lapses early in the second half to allow Adebayo Akinfenwa to level from the penalty spot and then Henoc Mukendi to head home the winner two minutes later.
“We should have been out of sight in the first half, we should have been 3-0 or 4-0 up easily,” said Dunne. “We dominated the game, and dominated the ball.
“We ripped them apart in the first half, and the goalkeeper has kept them in it.
“They were worried about the goalkeeper coming off, and I think he was dizzy from seeing so many shots being hit at him.
“But we said to the players at half time that Northampton will come out for the first 10 minutes of the second half, they’ll do what they do, and we didn’t stand up to it which is what I am furious about.
“My defenders didn’t stand up it, didn’t have the mentality or toughness, and that has to change.
“I have told them that in the dressing room because it’s not good enough. If we had seen out the first 10 minutes of the second half we’d have won the game, because once we go 2-1 down then the crowd get up.
“We still tried to pass and play and move the ball, and we got one or two more opportunities, but it wasn’t as fluid as it was in the first half, and when you concede two goals as quickly as we did it changes everything.
“On another night I think we could have won this game 4-0 or 5-0, but if you don’t take your chances you leave yourself open and we should have taken our chances.”
And Dunne added: “Football can be a cruel game, and I don’t think we got our rewards in this game.
“We definitely didn’t deserve to lose the match and we need to pick ourselves up after this, it is so disappointing.
“The first half was a training game for us.
“We were so good it was ridiculous, and it probably got a bit too easy for us.
“Our attitude in the first few minutes of the second half was good, and then we just switched off and that has happened to us a lot over the past few years. I can’t keep having that happen.
“In the first half the players executed the game-plan perfectly, and the only way Northampton were going to score was the way they did.
“Northampton turn you round, and they did what they do best and they got their rewards for it.
“It was a mad two minutes. It’s a simple ball into the box, and they get a penalty that changes it, and there was no pressure on the ball into the box for the second. It was kamikazee defending.
“But that’s the way it goes. You have to earn your right to win games and Northampton earned the right early on in the second half.
“Concentration was an issue for us, and the frustrating thing is we gave the players the information at half-time.
“We said ‘this is what we need to do and keep doing, this is what to look out for’ and they didn’t do it.
“But we have to move on quickly and learn from it.”
A bad night for Colchester was made worse by former Republic of Ireland international Clinton Morrison’s stoppage time dismissal for an elbow on Town central defender David Artell.
“I saw the two of them go up, but it didn’t look like much happened from the angle I had,” said Dunne
“The officials have said Clinton has elbowed him (Artell), but I didn’t see a lot of contact, and I don’t think it was vicious.
“There was no cut, no blood, so I don’t know how much contact there was, but the officials were adamant something happened.
“It will be a three-match ban, and after reviewing the incident on DVD we will take whatever action we need to.”
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