Two-goal Cureton profits at stumbling Saints' expense

Killer Cureton: Colchester’s hero (left) celebrates
14 April 2012
Southampton 1 Colchester United 2

Just as strong minds are needed for a final push towards the Premiership, Southampton's brains were addled on Friday night with a disastrous home defeat that further drained the life out of their collapsing season.

Careless defending opened up a deficit which a desperate second-half onslaught could not close to reduce their play-off hopes even further.

While rivals like Sunderland and Wolves have found rich form, George Burley's side have suffered from a growing insecurity even in matches they have dominated.

It was there again last night, three days after they let slip a 2-0 lead at home to Cardiff. And all this against a Colchester team whose own form had collapsed recently.

Even the presence of Pele and Best in their line-up for the final 17 minutes had little impact. That's Leon Best and the Pele who plays for the Cape Verde Islands.

A downcast Burley admitted: "It was a disappointing night. It was a game we needed to win. We had a very nervy start and we were slack at the back.

"It's definitely an uphill task now. We worked hard, had a lot of possession and hit the woodwork twice. But football's about winning and we haven't done that lately."

Colchester entered the game having taken only two points from six games and were already looking forward to their summer break.

How typically ironic that they should waltz into the lead with four minutes gone. Chris Iwelumo could scarcely believe the time and space he was afforded inside the Southampton area to slide the ball into the path of the equally unmarked Jamie Cureton for a simple side-footed finish.

The visitors ought to have been awarded a penalty in the 17th minute when Richard Garcia was clearly bundled over by Chris Baird. Iwelumo then dragged a shot just wide.

Suddenly, the emphasis switched. Danny Guthrie almost caught Dean Gerken off his line with a dipping long-range effort and from the resulting corner, Gareth Bale struck the bar with a firm header.

The momentum eventually brought the equaliser. Nathan Dyer drove forwards in the 26th minute and squared the ball for Andrew Surman. His touch was clumsy but the ball fell perfectly for Marek Saganowski to slip it under Gerken.

The goal ought to have been a springboard. Instead, while relief was still floating around St Mary's, a Richard Garcia cross was hooked in on the volley by Cureton as he fell and Colchester were back in front.

Teams who win promotion do not commit such inexcusable lapses in concentration. Their defending continued to be slipshod. Iwelumo glanced a header inches wide six minutes before half-time and Kevin Watson wasted a header three minutes after the interval.

Still, the lowest crowd of the season at St Mary's — 18,736 — stayed loyal to their team throughout a second period in which they had little to cheer save the tireless running of Dyer and determination of Bale.

Too much of the rest of the Southampton play was careful to the point of predictability. The exceptions were a shot from Best saved low down by Gerken and a powerfully struck shot from Andrew Surman which clipped the outside of the post.

Just like Southampton's season, that effort was close but ultimately off-target.

SOUTHAMPTON (4-4-2): Bialkowski; Baird (Viafara 46min), Pele, Lundekvam, Bale; Dyer (Best 73), Guthrie, Wright, Surman; Saganowski (Rasiak 60), Wright-Phillips.

Booked: Lundekvam, Viafara.

Scorer: Saganowski 26.

COLCHESTER (4-4-2): Gerken; White (Mills 76), Brown, Baldwin, Barker; Garcia, Izzet, Watson, Jackson; Cureton (Guy 90), Iwelumo.

Booked: Jackson.

Scorer: Cureton 4, 27.

Man of the match: Jamie Cureton.

Referee: Trevor Kettle.

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