White injury mars Mansfield win at Colchester

Posted Sunday, January 20, 2019 by PA

Manager David Flitcroft admitted Mansfield’s superb second-half fightback to win 3-2 at Colchester was soured by Hayden White’s suspected broken ankle.

The defender was stretchered off late on at the JobServe Community Stadium following a tackle from Frank Nouble.

Flitcroft said: “I feel numb – we’re 99 per cent sure that Hayden has a broken ankle.

“Even though we’ve had a win, it’s taken all of the shine off it.

“My thoughts are with Whitey and what he’s put into the game and how he’s trying to improve.

“He’s just had a little baby and his family I care about – I have that to think about now.

“It’s part of the game but a million per cent it could have been prevented by better refereeing game management because it boiled over and it didn’t have to.

“Referees have a duty of care and their first duty is to manage situations.

“It was the whole build-up to it and Frank [Nouble] feeling as though he had been wronged of a decision and it’s a horrific tackle.

“You could feel something happening out there and the referee is there to manage the game.

“It wasn’t us in the first half but in the second half, we impacted more and we deserved that win.”

Colchester took a 15th-minute lead through Tom Eastman, who netted from close range after Mikael Mandron had headed on Courtney Senior’s free-kick.

Senior doubled the U’s lead on the half hour with a low left-foot shot into the near post.

But Mansfield’s Nicky Ajose chested in Tyler Walker’s cross from close range five minutes after half-time and they equalised in the 64th minute when the latter side-footed home from Jorge Grant’s pass.

Mansfield completed their superb turnaround with 11 minutes remaining through CJ Hamilton, who converted Ajose’s superb pass.

Colchester boss John McGreal said: “It’s really sore at the minute. We got a great start and went in at half-time 2-0.

“Sammie Szmodics had a good opportunity to make it 3-0 and then the whole area died a little bit and went really quiet.

“That was a bit of a turning point; they got their first goal from a sloppy bit of play from us and then you just sensed that the wind had changed.

“Once they started moving the ball around and bringing players off the bench, it was difficult. For 50 minutes, we were very, very good.

“But the result shows 3-2 and we have to give Mansfield unbelievable credit for how they’ve changed things and personnel to get the win in the end.

“I thought some of our attacking play was brilliant and we didn’t quite get the win but I thought for the first 50 minutes we more than matched them.”