Danny Cowley keeping focus on Colchester in relegation fight

Posted Tuesday, April 02, 2024 by PA

Colchester boss Danny Cowley insisted he was only interested in his own team’s results after seeing them slip into the League Two drop zone following a 1-1 draw at Tranmere.

Kieron Morris and Alistair Smith traded goals in the early stages and the point means that, with Sutton and Forest Green both picking up victories, Colchester drop into the bottom two, a point from safety, albeit with three games in hand.

Cowley said: “I think it was a good point and that means we take four from the weekend.

“Since Nigel Adkins took over, Tranmere have got one of the best home records in the division and we tried to win the game, anyone who was here could see that.

“It wasn’t an easy first half an hour and we lost the ball too often and it was all a bit untidy, so that didn’t make it easy, but in the second half I thought we were the better team.

“That goal from Alistair Smith was one hell of a strike, he looked like he was going to score on Friday and it just didn’t happen, so what a fantastic strike.

“We have three games in hand on Sutton and Forest Green but we can’t control any of that, so why would I put any energy looking at the other teams around us?

“It’s all about the focus on us and what we can do. We now have a run of home games that we will be looking forward to and I’m going to put every minute of every day into trying to help us get better.”

Rovers took the lead in the seventh minute when Morris headed home from close range after some nice work from Rob Apter down the right.

But with the home fans still celebrating, United were level when Smith’s strike from the edge of the area beat Luke McGee in the Tranmere goal and found the bottom corner.

Rovers came close to restoring the lead through Apter, Jennings and Regan Hendry, while Bradley Ihionvien was denied by McGee on the stroke of half time.

Cameron McGeehan and Arthur Read both came close for the visitors after the break, with Owen Goodman denying Morris a second at the other end before substitute Josh Hawkes almost won it for Tranmere at the death.

Tranmere manager Adkins said: “On another day we could have scored five or six, Kieron Morris alone could have scored five but he scored a good goal as it was and their goalkeeper was exceptional.

“We certainly gave it a good go today and at a time of the season when some people question the mentality of the players, we were up for it all the way through.

“We started brightly, got on the front foot and scored, but the biggest annoyance for me is conceding straight from kick-off.

“It was a good strike from the lad to be fair, but we were in there, made some good chances and played some good football, it’s just a shame we didn’t capitalise on that first goal.

“From my point of view, I know I’ve got a group of players who are trying and working and grafting for each other.”