Keith Hill relieved after Tranmere battle back to secure draw against Colchester

Posted Wednesday, March 24, 2021 by PA

Tranmere boss Keith Hill described his side’s 2-2 draw at Colchester United as an emotional rollercoaster after they battled back to rescue a point.

Colchester took a 30th-minute lead when Harry Pell netted from close range after Jevani Brown had headed Ryan Clampin’s cross in the six-yard box.

And Brendan Wiredu doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 55th minute, converting Pell’s low cross from close range.

However, Tranmere reduced the deficit in the 62nd minute through Danny Lloyd, who converted from the spot after Tommy Smith had handled Paul Lewis’ effort in the area.

And the visitors completed their comeback five minutes later when Jay Spearing’s deflected low effort from the edge of the area from David Nugent’s lay-off flew in.

Hill said: “That was an emotional rollercoaster and a footballing rollercoaster.

“We started the game superbly and I was really pleased with the way we played in the first half.

“We controlled possession but we allowed them to counter-attack us, which is unlike us.

“We went 1-0 down considering Paul Lewis had that unbelievable opportunity and Danny Lloyd hit the post but it was almost like ‘we play, you play’ and I don’t like that type of game.

“I thought we should have defended better and I’m not talking about our defenders, I’m talking about the team.

“We shouldn’t have allowed the opposition to counter-attack us and we were playing away from home and allowed them to do that.

“But we’ve had to make a lot of changes, more than we’d had to make if the game had been played on the original date – over the course of the week, we’ve lost maybe four players.”

Colchester remain seven points above the League Two relegation zone but their interim boss Wayne Brown took positives from the draw.

Brown said: “The lads were very good tonight, not just with the way we went about our business but the way they’ve taken on what we’ve put into them, over the last couple of days.

“We worked on some bits and bobs where we felt we could exploit them and get the better of them and I thought we did in large spells of the first half.

“We created clearcut chances and we’ve scored two goals which I’m absolutely made up about but it should have been five.

“When you analyse a game of football and you think about the positives, they’re not half chances, they are from three yards.

“But two goals and we could quite easily have lost the game at the end and we could be here having a different conversation, having not picked up any points at all but we’ve done more than enough to win the game.”