Poor Pool back into the drop zone

Chris Porter’s 60th minute volley earned Colchester a 1-0 victory against a poor Pool side who were second best all afternoon.

And with just four games to go the Seasiders find themselves in desperate trouble, and staring back-to-back relegations in the face.

Blackpool were particularly poor in the first half as Colchester well and truly took the game to them from the off.

Kevin Keen’s men certainly didn’t look like a side so desperately in relegation trouble, with former Pool loan man Elliot Lee at the heart of all their best stuff.

He forced two saves out of keeper Colin Doyle while Chris Porter also saw a decent chance go begging.

Despite being second best throughout the opening half Pool probably had the best chance of the opening 45 minutes in stoppage time when Danny Philliskirk fired wide from six yards with the goal at his mercy.

After the break Colchester again started brightly and couldn’t have come much closer to scoring just seconds into the second half.

Winger Gavin Massey cutting inside and rattling the post with Doyle beaten.

Just after the hour mark Colchester finally found their breakthrough, with Porter firing home on the half volley at the second attempt.

It prompted McDonald to make a double substitutions, ones which seem to infuriate the home support.

‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ rang around Bloomfield Road as McDonald make like-for-like changes, bringing on Jack Redshaw and Bright Samuel in place of Cullen and Philliskrik.

I can only imagine the home support wanted more positive changes.

Blackpool looked void of confidence as time drifted away, although Redshaw was a stud’s length away from guiding a cross past Elliot Parish.

In the end McDonald’s men fell to a poor defeat, and one which could prove crucial.