“exceptional” – Notts County gives his verdict on Colchester match as he praises his opponent…

Notts County manager Luke Williams praised Colchester United as an exceptional team after his side suffered only their second defeat of the season.

Despite the 5-4 loss at the JobServe Community Stadium, Notts County still holds the top position in the table.

The Magpies found themselves trailing from the tenth minute when a poor clearance by goalkeeper Aidan Stone led to Noah Chilvers’ impressive long-range strike. Although Sam Austin managed to equalize, goals from Jayden Fevrier and Arthur Read gave Colchester United a 3-1 lead at halftime.

Notts County’s Macauley Langstaff scored another goal after the break, but Cameron McGeehan extended Colchester’s lead to 4-2. Jodi Jones reduced the deficit, but Read added another goal.

Langstaff’s second goal made for a tense finish for the hosts, who were reduced to ten men after McGeehan’s red card.

Williams commented, “The opposition played exceptionally well, proving to be a brilliant team. We struggled to handle their two strikers in the first half and conceded a goal due to a lapse in concentration, which affected our confidence. Consequently, it was challenging to establish our rhythm, and the opposition excelled in counterattacks.”

He added, “While we posed our own threats, conceding an early goal changed the dynamics. Going toe to toe with a team is one thing, but when you give them a goal head start, it changes the dynamics on the sidelines.

We thought we were making a comeback, but then we conceded more goals, which was very difficult.”

Williams acknowledged that he had to alter the team’s formation as they were facing more difficulties than causing problems for the opposition.

He said, “We changed our formation, and it seemed to benefit us more. We had a strong start to the second half and looked like we might recover, but then we conceded another goal.”

Williams also praised Colchester’s front duo, Joe Taylor and Samson Tovide, despite them not scoring.

He expressed his dislike for games that become high-scoring affairs, comparing them to basketball, where control over the game is challenging. He attributed the game’s open nature to Colchester’s exceptional performance.