Danny Cowley ‘disillusioned’ with officials as Colchester held at Crawley

Colchester boss Danny Cowley reflected on a “bizarre game to manage” after Kyreece Lisbie’s first-half leveller gave them a 1-1 draw at Crawley.

Lisbie’s close-range finish off the post cancelled out Reece Brown’s 13th-minute opener in a game which Cowley felt could have been officiated better.

Choosing his words carefully, Cowley said: “The players have given up the whole of their Christmas and the game was a lottery. It makes me feel quite disillusioned.

“It was a tough game and tough opponents, and the game was really challenging.

“It was a bit of a lottery at times because of the way it was officiated. You can have the best football players in the world but they (the officials) need some help. I didn’t know what they’d do next.”

Tenth-placed Colchester have lost only one of their last six away league games and Cowley added: “We did all we could to win it but we didn’t have a good start.”

Crawley, unbeaten at home in the league since the end of September, are now two points clear of the bottom two and boss Scott Lindsey is imploring his men to be more ruthless in front of goal as they continue to squander their chances.

Lindsey said: “A draw was probably a fair result although I will need to watch it back.

“But we have got to be cold and take the chances when they come along.”

Crawley could have clinched victory late on when striker Ryan Loft missed an open goal, further frustrating Lindsey who has been desperate for a change of fortune.

He said: “In the first half we were good with the ball but not so good without it, whereas in the second half we were good without the ball but not good with it, and I can’t put my finger why that should be.

“If we take our chances, we win the game.”