‘We fell short in every area’ says Harrogate Town’s Josh Falkingham

Sylvester Jasper’s 88th-minute strike settled a dour affair, condemning the Wetherby Road outfit to just their second defeat in 12 League Two outings this term.

Second in the table and coming off the back of a 6-1 demolition of Scunthorpe last time out, Town will doubtless have fancied their chances at the Colchester Community Stadium, particularly given that the U’s had taken just a single point from their last four league matches and failed to score even once in the process.

But, they never really got out of second gear and, after Lloyd Kerry crashed their one clear opening of the afternoon against the cross-bar, they were stung on the counter-attack late on.

“We were nowhere near good enough today. We never really got going at any point and fully deserved not to come away with anything,” Falkingham reflected.

“We were nowhere near being up to the standards that we’ve set at the start of this season. 

“We fell short in every area. We never really passed the ball, never put balls into good areas, never got ourselves up the pitch, never really put our stamp on the game and apart from Will Smith - who won all his headers - we never won enough first or second balls.

“You’re giving yourself an uphill battle in this league if you’re not doing any of these things, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing.”

Colchester United: George; Tchamadeu (Smith 90+6), Chambers, Eastman, Daniels; Sarpong-Wiredu, Skuse; Hannant, Sears, Chilvers (Jasper 63); Nouble (Tovide 93). Unused substitutes: Turner, Dobra, Kennedy, Coxe.

Harrogate Town: Oxley; Fallowfield, Smith, Hall, Burrell; Thomson (Kerry 62), Falkingham (Martin 90), Pattison, Diamond; Armstrong (Orsi 90), Muldoon. Unused substitutes: Cracknell, Sheron, Power.

Referee: T Reeves (England).