Paul Peschisolido finally ended Sheffield United's goal drought to fire the
Blades into the last eight of the FA Cup and end Colchester's hopes of making
history.
Peschisolido was undoubtedly the difference between the sides as, apart from
his 61st-minute winner, he could have set up three other goals but was badly let
down by his team-mates' finishing.
But it was his ninth goal of the season which mattered most as the home side
found the net after a five-and-half-hour barren spell which had contributed to
them losing their last three First Division matches.
It was far from comfortable, though, for last season's beaten semi-finalists
as Division Two Colchester went close to earning a replay and with it another
shot at reaching the sixth round for only the second time in their existence.
But Peschisolido was the thorn in their side from early on and provided
gilt-edged chances for Wayne Allison and Phil Jagielka inside the opening 22
minutes.
The Canadian striker first dispossessed Liam Chilvers in the 13th minute
before teeing up an all-alone Allison, but the man known as 'The Chief' stabbed
wide with the goal at his mercy.
Nine minutes later and this time it was Jagielka's turn to look foolish as,
after accepting Peschisolido's lay-off, the right-back could only slice his shot
wide from 10 yards.
It was not all one way, though, as Paul Tierney and Kem Izzet set up Wayne
Andrews for a crisp 20-yard drive which Paddy Kenny superbly clutched on the
line.
Kenny was again called upon in the 28th minute, just nudging wide a 25-yard
free-kick from captain Karl Duguid after Peter Ndlovu had become the first
player booked for a foul on Joe Keith.
The underdogs visibly grew in confidence from that moment, stroking the ball
around until Peschisolido was picked out in the 41st minute but, forced to go it
alone on this occasion, his lack of control allowed Simon Brown to mop up the
danger.
If Warnock had been hoping for a change of fortune after the break, it failed
to materialise within the opening two minutes of the second half as another two
chances went begging.
After 25 seconds Allison fed full debutant Dries Boussatta inside the area,
but a stabbed shot from 12 yards was narrowly wide, before Ndlovu then teed up
Peschisolido, only for Alan White to block.
The visitors were not rattled, though, and four minutes later should have
taken the lead when Duguid pounced on an Alan Wright mistake before releasing
Rowan Vine.
The on-loan striker from Portsmouth had skittled Coventry out of the last
round with a hat-trick in a 3-1 replay victory at Layer Road, but on this
occasion clearly left his shooting boots back in Colchester.
Vine should have taken Duguid's pass first time, but instead an extra touch
allowed skipper Rob Page to make up lost ground and throw himself in front of
the eventual drive.
Warnock's men looked as if they were running out of options until finally
making the breakthrough just after the hour, and deservedly through
Peschisolido.
Wright atoned for his earlier error by whipping in a hard-to-defend free-kick
from the right wing into the near post where Peschisolido arrived on cue to
power a header past Brown to become his side's leading scorer.
Ndlovu should have killed the tie four minutes later, but after cutting inside
Sam Stockley, his fiercely-driven shot was brilliantly pushed away by White.
After Izzet had curled a 30-yarder inches wide, Peschisolido then set up
78th-minute sub Andy Parkinson - recalled from a loan with Notts County and who
yesterday played 90 minutes in a 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth - only for Stockley
to keep him at bay.
Teams
Sheff Utd: Kenny, Phil Jagielka, Whitlow, Page, Wright, McCall,
Montgomery, Ndlovu (Parkinson 77), Boussatta (Rankine 70),
Peschisolido, Allison.
Subs Not Used: Kozluk, Fettis, Forte.
Booked: Ndlovu.
Goals: Peschisolido 61.
Colchester: Brown, Tierney (McGleish 70), Alan White, Chilvers,
Stockley, Pinault, Izzet, Keith, Duguid, Andrews, Vine.
Subs Not Used: Johnson, Bowry, Halford, McKinney.
Booked: Tierney, Alan White, Duguid.
Att: 17,074
Ref: D Pugh (Merseyside).
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