The U's lost their first home game in 2009 after Ryan Shotton's header gave Tranmere Rovers all three points last night.

Colchester United suffered their first defeat since the beginning of December last night when Ryan Shotton's header gave Tranmere a deserved three points. United failed to reach the heights of recent performances against Rovers but Paul Lambert surely won't panic too much after this reverse.

With Kem Izzet finally sitting out his one match suspension, Clive Platt returned up front to partner Scott Vernon with David Perkins joining Dean Hammond in the centre of the park. Lewis Gobern and Mark Yeates provided the width with the U's usual back four of Maybury, Reid, Baldwin and Tierney in front of Jimmy Walker in goal.

The opening moments of the first went from end to end as both sides tried to get the opening goal. Yeates found himself in the inside right channel but from the edge of the box shot across goalkeeper Coyne. Tranmere came even closer just seconds later as Shotton's looping header came back off the U's crossbar with Walker groping at thin air. Finally, Gobern's deep cross saw Platt head across goal but Vernon couldn't get the vital last touch.

An exciting opening then, but the game soon settled down in to a fairly open attractive football match. Tranmere are clearly a decent side with Bas Savage - who I'd always considered a comical touch by virtue of his appearances on Soccer AM - having a terrific evening against Pat Baldwin. Powerful, with good control and nice feet, he caused the U's problems all evening and frankly, Clive Platt should watch a re-run of the game to see exactly how a target man should lead the line.

The U's almost opened the scoring in bizarre circumstances midway through the half. David Perkins chased down the pass to a Tranmere defender and when he tried to clear, the ball rebounded off the U's midfielder and went a couple of yards wide of the goal with Coyne scurrying to make sure.

Vernon’s terrific volley from outside the box was blocked but though a hand might have made contact, there was little the defender could do to get out of the way. Charlie Barnett's half-volley was thankfully straight at Walker while a driven corner from Yeates was met powerfully by Dean Hammond but Coyne dived to catch the ball.

Tranmere's best moment of the half came when Tranmere got to the by-line and pulled the ball back to the unmarked Chris Shuker who somehow sliced wide when the goal was pretty much at his mercy. United responded with their best move of the half instigated by a super tackle from Dean Hammond. The U's skipper released Perkins who moved purposefully forward before finding Yeates who curled a shot wide of the far post.

Neither manager made changes at the break but the score line did change five minutes later. Paul Reid's rather rash challenge on the touchline gave Charlie Barnett an opportunity to swing a delightful ball in to the box where Ryan Shotton climbed highest to head down and past Jimmy Walker in the U's goal.

Coyne parried a Yeates drive away - though you could argue whether the ball was destined for the net or not while Gobern almost released Yeates in to the box but the on-loan Wolves man's pass forward was just a yard short. That said, the U's still made something of the opportunity with Yeates dinking the ball over the top from inside the box.

Savage's terrific run down the U's left hand side - chased by Perkins in a somewhat surreal moment of the match - ended with his cross to the unmarked Shuker at the far post. The former Barnsley man claimed that his shot had beaten Walker at the far post but neither referee nor assistant agreed with him.

Maybury, yet to score for the U's following his move earlier in the season, tried his luck from 30 yards out. From my angle it was difficult to tell how close it was but Coyne was moved sufficiently enough to decided to dive just in case while the Tranmere keeper was in the right place to deal with Tierney's shot from the edge of the box.

United had by this time made some changes. Simon Hackney replaced Lewis Gobern just before the hour mark with the U's loanee looking as though he had picked up a groin problem in the second half. Jamie Guy replaced Clive Platt mid-way through the half and this did, at least, pick the U's up. There was now a second option for the U's with Guy's extra pace giving the Tranmere defence something else to worry about.

With eight minutes left, Lambert made his final change with Anthony Wordsworth replacing Reid in, what was to me a puzzling move. Though I approved of going to three at the back I would always take off one of my fullbacks to do this - and given Tierney's extra height I'd have taken off Maybury. Baldwin was also struggling to cope with Savage so why take off the U's best defender of the night? I can only conclude that it was because Reid had picked up a yellow card in the tackle that had led to the free kick which brought the goal.

In injury time United had a late chance. A weak back pass from Chorley left Guy and Coyne racing towards the ball from opposite directions. The U's man just got a boot on the ball first but Coyne did enough to bring Guy down and keep the ball away enough to allow his defenders to clear. In truth, a point would have hardly been fair on the visitors who were for most parts the better team on the night.

Though I am sure Lambert knows this as much as possible, our strength in depth in attacking options is just so weak to be untrue. As was pointed out to me last night by a colleague, United have three out of four strikers who prefer to play with their back to goal and the other who is unfortunately injured. United need someone who can turn opposition defences around and until they do so, the U's will find the Play-Off ambitions on hold for another season.

Shot of the Match: Vernon's first half volley was full of power until stopped by a Tranmere defender.
Save of the Match: Walker did well to keep out Shuker's second half effort at his near post.
Moan of the Match: A pity the U's could meet the hard work and efforts of the ground staff who got this game on despite all the rain that has fallen recently.
Man of the Match:  A difficult night to pick out a MOTM with so many falling short of their usual standards, however, I thought the heartbeat of the team last night was DAVID PERKINS. The U's missed Kem Izzet its true, but Perkins never gave up and was involved in all of the good things that the U's did.

Colchester: Walker, Maybury, Baldwin, Reid (Wordsworth 82), Tierney, Gobern (Hackney 57), Perkins, Hammond, Yeates, Platt (Guy 65), Vernon.
Subs Not Used: Cousins, White.

Booked: Gobern, Reid.

Tranmere: Coyne, Shotton, Kay, Chorley, Taylor, Shuker, Jennings, Edds, Barnett, Savage, Moore.
Subs Not Used: Achterberg, Holmes, Waterfall, Cresswell, Henry.

Booked: Taylor, Barnett.

Goals: Shotton 50.

Att: 3,588.

Ref: Gavin Ward (Surrey).

Photo: Action Images

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