Colchester boss Danny Cowley admits Oldham’s red card changed game

Colchester boss Danny Cowley admitted Oldham’s red card changed the game after his side secured a last-gasp 2-1 win.

Lewis Temple’s own goal in stoppage time handed United victory but Gus Scott-Morriss’ dismissal in the first half ultimately proved costly for Latics.

Cowley said: “It’s always the best way to win (in stoppage time). I’m not sure it’s good for the blood pressure but it was a great performance. I genuinely thought at XI v XI that we were the better team.

“Oldham are a really good team, but I really liked the way that we played. The sending off naturally changed the game, so we made tactical tweaks. We were super young at the end, but we had enough energy and enthusiasm.”

On the sending-off, Cowley added: “I’ll have to have another look. It looked high, and I did think that the ball was high as well.”

The deadlock was broken by Keenan Appiah-Forson’s debut goal for the visitors. He was given enough space, 25 yards from goal, to strike a delightful effort into the top-right corner.

However, seconds before the break, Oldham were reduced to 10 men when Scott-Morriss was penalised for a challenge on Ellis Iandolo.

At the beginning of the second half, Mathew Hudson was busy in the visitors’ goal. Sean Raggett won a free header, from a corner, which Hudson parried away. Then the Oldham stopper did well to palm away another Raggett header, this time from a more central position.

Harry Anderson pulled the hosts level on the hour mark. Oscar Thorn was active on the right wing, and his delivery was pounced upon by Anderson, who could not miss from a few yards out.

But Hudson, with a quarter of an hour left, was seemingly the hero again. His stretched legs kept out Jack Payne’s penalty, after Jaden Williams was brought down in the box.

Colchester continued to probe until Temple’s deflection trickled into the back of the net, in the fourth minute of stoppage time, handing them all three points.

Oldham boss Micky Mellon was more certain in his view over Scott-Morriss’ dismissal.

He said: “We were beaten by a number of decisions. That decision changed the game.

“We were cruising. I was really looking forward to seeing us play in the second half (with 11 men). We played some really good football.

“The players fought right until the end. Are we going to be disappointed with the goal at the end? Absolutely.”