Colchester 2-1 Oldham: Oldham Athletic and The Temple Own-Goal of Doom
I know. Colchester 2-1 Oldham sounds like just about the single most innocuous result in football history, but I promise you this game had more than meets the eye. Do you like screamers? How about red cards? Penalty saves? Big comebacks? Own goals? Last-gasp stoppage time winners? Of course you do. Those who found themselves in the JobServe Community Stadium this weekend were treated to the very best drama the Football League had to offer, who’d have thought it? Never judge a book by its cover, and never judge a football game by the fact Colchester are playing.
Oldham Athletic were one of the teams tipped by pundits and punters alike to make a real go of it this season in League Two, and they made good on their expectations in the opening weekend with a strong victory over fellow promotion-hopefuls Port Vale. Colchester, on the other hand, were widely derided and unfancied by many. With over a third of their goal output from last season gone in summer, and replacements brought in on a shoestring budget, many expect it to be a long year down in Essex for Col U and the Cowley brothers. This was compounded as they limped to an opening day draw with relegation favourites Accrington, who more than deserved all three points, picking up some injury issues along the way for good measure. All that is to say, many expected to see one way traffic in this game in favour of the away side.
Despite this, it was the hosts that started off the stronger side against Oldham this weekend, flashing a cross across the six-yard box that was well cleared by their visitors early on before Rob Hunt clattered the post with a sumptuous half-volley that would’ve surely been the goal of the season had it tucked just inside the upright. However, the early pressure didn’t count for much as it was Oldham who would take the lead after 20 minutes.
Every player that switches clubs over the summer hopes for the same thing, a moment. It could be a goal, a penalty save, even just a big challenge, but they all want something memorable to happen in the early stages of their time at the club to help settle the nerves. For newly-minted Oldham midfielder Keenan Appiah-Forson, now was his moment.
Appiah-Forson is one of a pair of players brought into Oldham from Southend United in summer, and has been keen to prove he can handle the step up to league football after spending the early part of his career in the National League. His goal certainly proved that and then some. He received the ball from a throw-in down the right flank with his back to goal, managing to wriggle free of his marker with a great touch into space on the edge of the area. With a few in Oldham away orange free to receive the ball, Appiah-Forson opted instead to bend a beautiful shot from 25 yards out into the top right-hand corner, far beyond the reach of the Colchester ‘keeper. If you’re going to announce yourself, you may as well do it properly.
The rest of the first half played out with little to talk about, that was until the second minute of added time. The other Oldham arrival from Southend was right-back Gus Scott-Morriss. We spoke about having your big moment at a new club earlier, and this is certainly one he’ll want to forget. As the half was coming to a close, play was bouncing between the two teams in a huddle on the halfway line, with nobody able to get a foot on the ball to control it. Instead, Scott-Morriss decided to get his foot on an ankle, diving into an unnecessary challenge and earning himself a straight red card. Don’t worry Gus, I’m sure the Oldham fans will forget eventually. His reaction was one of bewilderment, and on first look it did look a pretty soft decision, but the referee was right on top of it and he clearly leads with his studs straight into the ankle of Ellis Iandolo. It’s a drop harsh, but you can definitely see why it was given. With that, Oldham were sentenced to play the entire second half down a man, and Colchester made sure they took full advantage.
There was a lot of unrest around Colchester this summer. With them trying, and failing, to attract a buyer and being unable to invest any significant sums despite losing key players, many feared the worst. The glue holding them together, however, are the Cowley brothers in the dugout. Joining in January of 2024, they managed to keep them in the Football League against the odds before delivering back-to-back top half finishes with a side that is only getting weaker in a division that gets tougher year-on-year. Remarkable. They’ve coached this team within an inch of their lives and, should investment ever arrive, would immediately become one of the favourites for promotion due to their ability to work wonders with next to nothing. For now, they still have to feed on scraps, but they managed to have them dominating a strong, if depleted, Oldham side throughout the second period.
A major concern for Colchester fans this summer was wondering just where the goals are going to come from. They lost over a third of their goal output in summer, with Kyreece Lisbie’s big move to greener pastures and Micah Mbick’s loan finishing leaving them with gaping holes out wide and at centre-forward. These absences were patched up with former Colchester players Oscar Thorn and Bradley Ihionvien returning on loan from Lincoln and Peterborough respectively. With 11 career goals between them, the moves hardly inspired confidence. One man who has stayed loyal to the club is winger Harry Anderson, who is entering his fourth year in blue and white. With 11 league goals to his name last time out, it was crucial that Col U kept hold of him, and he showed why once again just past the hour mark in this game.
Thorn was allowed the time to pick out a lovely deep cross from the right wing onto the edge of the Oldham six-yard box, where an onrushing Anderson was on hand to head home the equaliser and his first of presumably many this season. The home side smelled blood, and they kept pushing.
Not long after the equaliser, substitute Jaden Williams was brought down in the area under a clumsy push in the back to win Colchester a penalty and the chance to take the lead. The ever-reliable Jack Payne stepped up, but Matt Hudson was equal to his effort, saving the low shot with his feet to keep the scores level and give Oldham the lifeline they’d been searching for.
Neither side were able to create any chances of note, and it looked to be heading to a fairly routine 1-1 draw. Iandolo swung in a semi-dangerous cross from the left hand side in the 94th minute, but Oldham defender Lewis Temple was first to it and cleared the danger with a strong interception. Except, it didn’t quite go to plan. The ball looped up off of his foot in slow motion, with Hudson rooted to the spot. Despite the best efforts of the scrabbling Oldham defence, it dropped over the line to hand Colchester victory in the final seconds.
Agonising for Oldham, elating for Colchester. In what was an absolutely mad weekend across League Two, with an eight-goal thriller, an Adebayor-style full-pitch celebration, a centre half in goal, and Crewe scoring through the ‘keeper not noticing the striker lurking behind him, this game was still the pick of the bunch. Four points from two is a fantastic return for Colchester, and a great platform for them to build from for the rest of the season. I still have some concerns around them, particularly when it was eleven vs eleven, but the Cowley brothers should have enough to steer them well clear of the bottom two conversation come May. As much as I have reservations around Colchester, I also hold out hope for Oldham. They got an impressive win over Port Vale to open the season, and would’ve come away with something here if not for the idiotic red card and calamitous late defending. They have a really exciting looking side and, like so many of the recently promoted National League teams, should definitely be aiming for that top seven. Just try and keep eleven men on the pitch if you can. And don’t kick it into your own goal. Or give away needless penalties. Then you should be alright, I reckon.