Colchester United suffer late defeat at Newport County in League Two

Colchester United's winless run extended to eight matches in all competitions after a 1-0 defeat at Newport County on Saturday. A late goal from substitute Tanatswa Nyakuhwa sealed the loss, which leaves the U's 19th in the standings with 10 points from nine games.

Nyakuhwa struck with 11 minutes remaining at Rodney Parade, converting a cross from Matty Jacobs to score his first goal at the ground. Colchester had created the better chances earlier, with Beryly Lubala, Moses Sesay and Harry Anderson all going close, but they failed to find a finish. The decisive goal came precisely in the 79th minute, a key detail from the match data that shows the late nature of the collapse.

Colchester manager Danny Cowley revealed his frustration after the game, stating that news of injuries to senior players Kylian Kouassi and Sean Raggett had been leaked to Newport before the match. "They had information on us they shouldn’t have had," Cowley said. "They knew we’d picked up some injuries in the week, so we’re pretty angry about that." The absence of these key figures from the available squad was a significant blow, exploited by the opposition.

Cowley added that his side lacked the final quality to get a result. "In a very close game, where there was very little in it, we made a mistake that led to their goal," he said. "And we didn’t have quite enough quality in the final action to be able to get on the right side of the game." The manager acknowledged the growing pressure, saying, "The pressure is increasing on me as manager," as the team's statistical output, visible in the club's stats, continues to reflect their struggles in front of goal.

Newport boss Hayden Mullins, who previously managed Colchester for ten months, praised his team's effort. "It was a tough game," Mullins said. "Thankfully Tan comes on and nicks the winner and it was a good team performance in the end."

The defeat extends a difficult spell for Colchester, who have now gone six league games without a win. Their recent form reads LDDDL, having drawn with Luton Town in the EFL Trophy just days before this trip to Wales. The team must now prepare for a key home match against Exeter City, their next fixture scheduled for 17 October as confirmed by the official fixtures list, a game that takes on heightened importance given their current slide.

This story first appeared at Sky Sports