DANNY Cowley saluted the ‘effort, attitude and togetherness’ of his Colchester United side after they drew 0-0 at Fleetwood Town this afternoon to extend their unbeaten run to five matches.
The U’s were well worthy of their point at Highbury Stadium and will feel they did enough to have won the League Two game, rather than shared the spoils for a ninth successive time in the league this season.
U’s boss Cowley said: “For the boys to come through as well as they did particularly against a team as fresh as Fleetwood who hadn’t played for so long was amazing really and I just want to celebrate the effort, attitude and togetherness of the group.
READ MORE: Match report as Colchester claim a point at Fleetwood Town
“We left Colchester at 8.45am yesterday morning, the M11 gets shut and we arrive at Preston hotel at 5.30pm, so it was one hell of a drive.
“I thought we had really good control, probably the most control we’ve had away from home, all season against a really good Fleetwood team who I anticipate will be right in and around the automatic promotion places, come the end of the season.
“We played with a real good level of control, we used the ball well and we had good switches on.
“In the first half, they had to change their system and go from a 5-3-2 to a 5-2-3 because we just kept getting out and dominating the ball.
“They made personnel changes to try to deal with what we were doing so credit to the boys and that all comes on the backdrop of losing two players in the first half to injury.
“We’re trying to get to a point where we have a little bit more quality in the final third and are a bit more clinical and we win that game 2-0.
“That’s where we want to grow towards but we're not quite there yet - we are making inroads."
Substitute Oscar Thorn missed a glorious chance to secure Colchester victory deep into stoppage-time when he blazed over from close range, as they claimed a point from the early kick off in North Lancashire.
READ MORE: Fleetwood Town 0 Colchester United 0 - as it happened
Cowley said: "It was a great set-piece from Payney, great leap from Ellis, Samson was able to get his body in and I don't think it came down for Osc.
"The great thing is he's in there which is what you have to do.
"He's a young player that has grown so much, this season off the back of a really successful loan, come back, done really, really well, trains well every day, has got a great attitude to want to get better and we're really pleased he's with us."
Cowley had words of praise again for Colchester's fans who made the long trip up to Fleetwood from North Essex, for the lunchtime kick-off.
Cowley added: "The supporters were incredible again.
"They came all the way to Fleetwood, for a 12.30pm kick-off!
"We're so appreciative of their support and I think they saw a team that had real good control, real clarity over how they wanted to play, pressed the ball so aggressively and gave Fleetwood no rhythm.
"We were really able to suffocate them and that allowed us to have a lot of the ball.
"We just need to add that little bit of quality, in the final third and if we do, we win that game comfortably."
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