Rovers v Colchester - FA Cup 4th Round - Match Report

Interesting team selection today. Usual back four, Tugay in to play the "Ferguson" passing midfield role, Thompson played in his proper position wide-right, and Pedersen up front with JJ. Does the absence of Ferguson mean that there are still moves afoot to take him to Rangers? Who knows. And no Jansen anywhere. Is he still injured? If not then surely that's the end of his career at the club. It was a bright start to the game and very open. We looked marginally the better team in the opening 20 minutes but both teams created decent chances and it could easily have been 1-1 or 2-2 before the first goal went in. And what a goal it was! A routine backpass by a Colchester defender was comically mis-kicked by their keeper and the ball rolled slowly into the empty net. Ok, the ball bobbelled, but not enough to excuse such a bad mistake. It was one-way traffic after that. The goal clearly effected Colchester and we started to control the game. A good move saw Pedersen play a clever knock back to the edge of the area where JJ finished with tremendous composure. 2-0 at half-time and looking as comfortable as we have all season. We started the second half brightly and it wasn't long before we got the third. A free-kick wide left was whipped into the near post by Savage and Matteo supplied a deft touch to steer it past a flat-footed keeper. For a while it could have been any score. Every time we attacked we looked threatening and it was only the lack of a killer final ball that stopped us increasing the lead. Stead came on for Pedersen with 20 minutes to go and did everything but score, but it wasn't to be. In the last five minutes Colchester, after some poor defending, probably had their best chance of the match but Friedel was equal to the shot. It's hard to judge our team today because Colchester resembled a pub team at times. Our defence was tight in the main, Mokoena defended well without looking totally composed, Todd looked class yet again, Neill defensively was sound but as shocking as usual going forward, and Matteo probably had his best game at left back for us. In midfield Savage was excellent and was probably my man of the match. He worked his socks off and allowed their midfield no time at all to create. Emerton looked top class and ran their left back ragged at times - but, yet again, his final ball wasn't always as good as it could have been. Thompson did some good things but gave the ball away a lot as well. To be fair to him I think he was feeling a kick on the ankle he received at around the half-hour mark. Tugay used possession well and was as effective as Fergsuon usually is. Up front, Pedersen was as physical as I've seen him but didn't really look like the answer to our striker problems. JJ took his goal well, dropped deep intelligently to link up play at times, showed a good touch and technique, but didn't look anything particularly special. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't great either. Early days for him though and his goal must give him confidence. Stead looked brilliant when he came on and was desperate to get a goal - he did everything but get one. Surely it's only a matter of time. Overall it was a good, thoroughly professional win against a poor lower division side. Roll on the the 5th round draw on Monday. Oh, and just for Rover6 (because I know he/she struggles to get to games) Danns did sod all. Match report written by Scotty

Blackburn: Friedel, Neill, Todd, Mokoena (Nelsen 52), Matteo, Emerton (Reid 71), Savage, Thompson, Tugay, Pedersen (Stead 71), Johnson. Subs Not Used: Enckelman, Gallagher. Booked: Mokoena. Goals: Watson 21 og, Johnson 27, Matteo 51. Colchester: Davison, Stockley, Baldwin, Brown, Hunt (Chilvers 55), Halford, Danns, Watson, Johnson (Keith 79), Fagan, Williams (Ndumbu-Nsungu 58). Subs Not Used: Gerken, Cade. Att: 10,634 Ref: H Webb (S Yorkshire).

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