Barnsley ended up copping what Colchester could have got

Last updated : 13 September 2006 By Tony Scholes
No doubt Gary Sutton had a bad night but Ritchie, whilst admitting his side deserved to lose the game, was more intent on nit picking over minor incidents, but needless to say he had nothing to say on our big penalty shout or the constant time wasting from his team.

“We are very disappointed with that performance and we didn't play well at all in the second half,” Ritchie said after the game. “We let Burnley have the initiative just before the break and allowed them to carry on. We did not defend as a team.”

It was at this point that he went looking for the excuses and came up with a couple of gems. “I have to say that is the first time I have ever seen a player ordered off the field because his captain's armband was not on. It was a ridiculous decision and, wouldn't you know it, they scored while he was stood waiting to come back on. I have never, ever seen that at all and it was absolutely disgraceful.

“I have had words with the referee and he should have stopped the game if he wanted and allowed the physio on to sort it, absolutely disgraceful. And, to make things worse he then let Burnley take a free kick late on from nowhere near where it should have been taken from and we were caught out again.

“I suppose it is just nitpicking really and we should have defended better as a team. We didn't close down and we allowed them to put a lot of crosses into our box. But we will brush ourselves down, work hard in training and be ready for the next game on Saturday.”

Steve Cotterill, delighted to see his team get back to winning ways, spoke mainly about his striker Gifton Noel-Williams and the Burnley fans who got behind the side so well from start to end.

“I am absolutely delighted for Gifton. I really toyed with the idea of starting him tonight but the way things have been for him here I didn't want to use up the feel good factor he had gained for himself on Saturday, and how the fans ended up supporting him, after he came on as a substitute. I really didn't want to use that one up, but he was excellent when he did come on.”

Steve spoke about the relationship between player and supporters, a relationship that led to him being loudly booed when he came on in the defeat against Colchester. “Supporters don't just turn on someone,” he said. “Gifton hasn't always worked the hardest and that is a minimum requirement. He has to do a shift and while he is our hero tonight, and everyone will be going home with a different opinion of him, if he doesn't do it on Saturday then I'll be after him again.

“He needs to keep that work ethic and that is perhaps why the fans weren't sure about him, because he can look big and cumbersome. But tonight's his night and it is great for him, and he deserves it. Everyone was there with him and long may that continue.”

Turning his attention to the fans, who turned in a top performance of their own throughout the game, he added: “That could have happened last Saturday, make no bones about it. Barnsley ended up copping what Colchester could have got, the big difference being that the chances went in.

“We didn't deserve to go two goals down, and it is a little message for our fans because they were absolutely magnificent tonight. I though we were a proper club and to a man, the way the players played and the supporters drove them on. It was a real team effort.

“These are the same lads who messed up on Saturday. The same lads who were hurting at the weekend are smiling again and that is probably the great thing about football.”