Chelsea against Colchester United

DEFLECTION! Cole's shot from the edge of the penalty area is deflected by Brown, but the ball loops in to the hands of a grateful Davidson.

Chelsea are content just to run the clock down with some meaningless passing in midfield.

Halford takes a mammoth run-up and blasts the free-kick goalwards, but the Chelsea wall stands firm.

Colchester win a free-kick in a dangerous spot, 35 yards out. A late chance, perhaps?

Final five minutes, and the game is rather limping to an inevitable conclusion; Chelsea are still having all the ball and Colchester are chasing shadows at the moment.

Davidson is still alert; he comes out to the edge of his box to claim a dangerous through-ball aimed at Drogba.

Brown has been immense at the back for Colchester.

WOEFUL! Crespo clips a nice low cross in to the penalty area, but SWP's shot at the near post flies high and wide.

It's still raining. I can't ever imagine it stopping.

COLCHESTER SUB: Garcia off, Williams on. Garcia has played well today, but was looking tired. Williams saunters on to the pitch to replace him.

Can Colchester muster an unlikely equaliser? I've no idea. Stay here for the final ten minutes, and we'll find out together.

Davidson clatters Drogba as the striker chased down Lampard's through-ball.

GOAL! Colchester's resistence finally snaps. Crespo's shot is well saved by Davidson, but the rebound falls to Cole, who cooly slots home.

Ferreira tries to gee-up the crowd as he takes a throw-in. His earnest gesticulations impress no-one, however; a sea of Burberry looks back at the Portuguese defender with bemusement.

Chelsea are pressing hard for the winner, getting a lot of players forward, but the Colchester defence has been superb this evening.

Iwelumo has very interesting hair; it is arranged in braids (corn rows? Is that what the kids call it?), tight to his head. It looks a bit like an aerial view of the maze at Hampton Court Palace.

Ferreira's cross is too long for Drogba. Liam Chilvers used to be a youth team player at Arsenal; he's got pedigree.

Colchester are still able to press; they have a chance to cause a massive upset.

COLCHESTER SUB: Yeates off, Chilvers on. Some fresh legs for the visitors.

SWP is put in to space down the right by Essien, but his first touch is a little heavy and Brown throws himself in to the challenge to end the danger.

CRESPO! SWP pulls a pass back to Crespo, but his side-foot shot from eight yards is saved by Davidson. Chelsea are upping the tempo.

ALMOST! Cole strikes a beautiful shot from 30 yards, but a late swerve takes the ball an inch wide of the post.

Iwelumo barges Huth off the ball - that takes some doing. Nothing comes of it, but I thought it a noteworthy moment.

Lampard and the referee are in discussions about something. That orange whistle makes another appearance. It is a symbol of the official's authority; without it, he's a mere mortal; with it, he is a referee.

Baldwin comes through the back of Drogba. Oddly, the free-kick decision goes Colchester's way. No-one seems concerned, which leads me to suggest I missed something important.

Duguid gives the ball away to end a promising Colchester move. Chelsea have a little under half-an-hour to put this tie to bed.

SAVE! Cole scampers through the middle, takes aim and fires a low shot goalwards. Davidson throws himself at the bobbling ball and paws it around the post.

Brown is again the Colcehester hero as he puts in a great challenge on Drogba inside the area. Corner.

CHELSEA SUB: Duff off, Crespo on. A final change from Mourinho. Crespo jogs on to the turf, a magnificent mane of curly hair bobbing up and down on his head.

Chelsea have had all the ball in the second half, but they've hardly created any decent chances. Davidson hasn't really been 'under the cosh'.

Chelsea prepare for another substitution; Crespo is beginning the arduous task of stripping off his tracksuit.

Garcia winces after taking a knee in the back from Huth as they challenged for a header. Huth is some sort of giant; I can imagine him tearing up tree trunks with his bare hands.

SWP runs at Brown once more, but again the plucky full-back stands firm and snuffs out the danger. He can be proud of himself.

The Colchester manager is a very animated young man; he is always urging his players onwards and upwards with rousing hand signals. I like him.

SWP and Lampard aren't singing from the same hymn sheet; they have crossed wires; mixed signals.

Carvalho is fortunate not to be booked for pulling back Garcia as the two tussled for a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area.

WIDE! HOW? Duff gets to the by-line and clips a cross to Drogba, but the £24million man contrives to head wide from four yards out. Dreadful.

Dans breaks in the midfield, but he takes the wrong option and his pass to Iwelumo is easily cut out.

Lampard's corner from the left is easily cleared. There's not much more to say about it than that.

There is a rubbish atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge this afternoon; perhaps it's the rain; it makes everyone miserable. I quite like it, though; it feels cold and wet on your skin.

OVER! Garcia skies a shot over the crossbar after getting on the end of Yeates' cross.

Johnson can't quite get Duff on his way down the left.

Chelsea win a corner when SWP's cross to the near post is put behind by Brown. Lampard curls the corner in to the middle, but Essien fouls as he jumps. Free-kick.

Drogba has pulled his socks up right over his knees; it looks as though he is wearing a pair of white leggings. Leggings used to be fashionable, back in the 1980s.

Dans is doing a good job of breaking up the play in the Chelsea midfield, but he hasn't been able to get forward as much as he'd like.

Drogba can't quite control Duff's cross inside the penalty area.

Chelsea have a spell of possession in midfield, but appear completely devoid of ideas. Lampard gives the ball away with a loose pass.

SWP beats White with a little jink of his snakey hips, but his cross is dreadful and Colchester clear.

SHOT! Johnson cuts in from the left; he can't see a passing option, so fires in a low shot. It flies a couple of yards wide of the near post, and hits the advertising hoardings with a satisfactory 'THUD!'

Ferreira's cross is good, but Baldwin makes a crucial headed clearance; Drogba was waiting behind him.

Did you know that Colchester is the oldest town in England? It's really old. Probably 1,000 years or more. That was just a guess.

Chelsea kick off the second half. It's still raining.

CHELSEA SUBS: Cole and Lampard replace Diarra and Maniche. Attacking changes from Mourinho.

HALF-TIME: Colchester are more than holding their own. Chelsea have got a real battle on their hands in the second half; this is going to be no walkover.

Duff has been almost anonymous; I forgot he was even playing until he popped up on the left wing a moment ago. Then I remembered.

Huth wrestles Yeates to the ground. Another Colchester free-kick, in a decent position. Watson sends out another signal before curling the ball in to the back post. Drogba is back to head out for another corner.

Another Colchester corner. Watson bounces the ball a couple of times before clipping the set-piece in to the near post; Diarra heads clear.

Drogba gets the better of Brown in the centre-circle, though his control then lets him down. £24million for a striker that couldn't trap a bag of sand; go figure.

A jinking SWP runs ends with another Chelsea corner. Davidson comes through a crowd of players and throws a furious fist at the ball, punching it well clear of danger.

SHOT! Halford's free-kick beats the wall, and takes a wicked bounce just before Cudicini, but the Italian claims comfortably.

Garcia is tripped by Diarra as he attempted to waltz his way through the Chelsea defence. Free-kick, 30 yards out, dead-centre. Halford stands over the ball, looking menacing...

That was Ferreira's first goal for Chelsea. He celebrated very merrily, like a schoolboy might do in the playground.

GOAL! A corner is met by Carvalho on the penalty spot; his header lands at the feet of Ferreira, who prods home from close range.

Duff is fouled by Watson, who earns a talking-to from the referee, Dermot Gallagher. He is holding an orage whistle in his hand, and looks a bit like a traffic policeman.

Drogba might as well not be playing, for all the use he is out there. He's very good at telling his team-mates what they should be doing, though; he does that with zeal and vigour. He'd make a good preacher.

Ferreira puffs out his cheeks after shanking an attempted cross in to the crowd.

WIDE! Chelsea don't deal with the set-piece at all well. The ball lands at the feet of Halford, but his shot is wild.

Yeates wins a free-kick in a dangerous spot when he is hauled to the ground by Maniche.

Essien and SWP almost combine with a nice one-two, but Brown reads the danger and hacks clear, with all the style and finesse of a builder.

SHOT! The corner is only half-cleared to Ferreira; he turns inside the box and fires a low shot goalwards, but Davidson makes a comfortable save.

SWP sprints down the right and wins a Chelsea corner. Duff curls it in...

Carvalho looks rueful. He's probably thinking to himself: "I wish I hadn't scored that own goal a moment or go. I could have done without that." He's really beating himself up about it. Poor lad.

If I were a fan of cliches, I'd probably say something like "Game on" right now.

GOOOOOOAAAAAAL! Garcia sprints down the right channel, fires a low cross in to the middle, and Carvalho, for a reason I can't fathom, doofs it in to his own goal from six yards out.

Chelsea have a big Champions League game against Barcelona coming up this week; they'll need to play better than this if they're to stand any chance of going through. That is a FACT.

There is a little bit of anxiety and frustration creeping in to the Stamford Bridge crowd; they are demanding instant gratification, and are not being sated.

John Terry looks on from the stands; he looks very smart. He is sat next to Eidur Gudjohnsen, who seems to be sending a text message on his mobile phone.

Johnson clips a cross in from the left, but Halford heads clear.

Yeates is still muttering to himself, probably replaying his recent shot in his head. "Shoulda, woulda, coulda..."

Chelsea are getting a bit sloppy with their passing, and handing possession back to Colchester. That's dangerous.

OFF THE POST! Yeates hits the post from a tight angle. The ball rebounds to safety. Colchester almost took the lead; now that would have been a story, folks.

Colchester are starting to grow in to the match; they have got a bit of self-belief now. They are getting players forward in attack and giving good support to Iwelumo.

Yeates fouls Maniche, but Chelsea can't use the free-kick. Mourinho is on his feet, pointing and gesturing to his players. He looks discontented.

SHOT! Garcia shoots from 35 yards; it goes a couple of yards over the top, but he appears happy with his effort. He smirks to a team-mate.

CHANCE! A quick throw sends Garcia free; he sprints in to the penalty area, but then rather gets caught in two minds. He opts for a cross-shot and Huth is forced to turn it behind for a corner.

OUCH! Brown and SWP clash heads. They both yelp a little, like scolded cats, and fall to the ground. But they soon get up again, and pplay goes on.

Chelsea haven't really got going; Colchester are doing a good job of stopping them playing.

Mourinho looks very downbeat about something. He tucks his head deep in to his jacket and mumbles something to himself. Probably in Portuguese.

SHOT! Iwelumo fires a shot on goal, but it flies wide of Cudicini's near post. It's raining very heavily now; most unpleasant.

SWP is confused and angry when a free-kick decision goes against him. He can't seem to fathom it all out, bless him.

Diarra has a very strange-shaped head; there seems to be a dent in it, perhaps he had an accident as a child. He's very enthusiastic; running around like a little scamp.

Colchester win a corner. Watson swings it in from the right, but Essien heads clear.

A large collection of balloons has congregated behind the Colchester goal. Some young men in hats burst them with big pitch-forks.

It's raining quite hard now. I hope the players don't catch a cold; that would be terrible.

Colchester are a tall, strong side and they are causing Chelsea a problem or two on set-pieces.

Johnson curls a low cross in to the middle from the right-hand side, but Drogba's flick at the near post goes well wide. He smiles though; he's just happy to be playing.

SWP is fouled by Brown on the touchline. The linesman waves his flag frantically.

SWP wins the first corner of the match when his attempted cross is deflected behind off Brown. He has seen a lot of the ball in the opening minutes.

Colchester win a throw, deep in the Chelsea half. Halford trots over; he wipes the ball on his shirt before hurling it in to the crowded penalty area, but Chelsea clear.

CHANCE! Davidson's clearance is poorly-struck and ends at the feet of SWP. He controls and runs towards goal, fires in a low shot, but Davidson saves with his feet.

Drogba chases down another Huth pass, but again Davidson is equal to the task.

I don't think Colchester have touched the ball yet. They play in yellow; it's very bright. Iwelumo has already got mud on his shirt; his mum won't be happy.

The Chelsea fans are singing a song, but I can't make out the words. It seems quite pleasant and jolly; an uplifting little ditty that has brought a smile to my face.

Huth hoofs a long ball down the line for SWP to chase, but the pass is too strong and runs through to Davidson. He looks angry; I don't know why.

The surface looks dreadful. It has large patches of sand on it to soak up the water.

Colchester kick off. It's raining, and there is standing water on the pitch.

Hello, I'm Alex and I'm going to try and commentate on this FA Cup match - Chelsea v Colchester.

Chelsea are pressing hard for the winner, getting a lot of players forward, but the Colchester defence has been superb this evening.

Iwelumo has very interesting hair; it is arranged in braids (corn rows? Is that what the kids call it?), tight to his head. It looks a bit like an aerial view of the maze at Hampton Court Palace.

Ferreira's cross is too long for Drogba. Liam Chilvers used to be a youth team player at Arsenal; he's got pedigree.

Colchester are still able to press; they have a chance to cause a massive upset.

COLCHESTER SUB: Yeates off, Chilvers on. Some fresh legs for the visitors.

SWP is put in to space down the right by Essien, but his first touch is a little heavy and Brown throws himself in to the challenge to end the danger.

CRESPO! SWP pulls a pass back to Crespo, but his side-foot shot from eight yards is saved by Davidson. Chelsea are upping the tempo.

ALMOST! Cole strikes a beautiful shot from 30 yards, but a late swerve takes the ball an inch wide of the post.

Iwelumo barges Huth off the ball - that takes some doing. Nothing comes of it, but I thought it a noteworthy moment.

Lampard and the referee are in discussions about something. That orange whistle makes another appearance. It is a symbol of the official's authority; without it, he's a mere mortal; with it, he is a referee.

Baldwin comes through the back of Drogba. Oddly, the free-kick decision goes Colchester's way. No-one seems concerned, which leads me to suggest I missed something important.

Duguid gives the ball away to end a promising Colchester move. Chelsea have a little under half-an-hour to put this tie to bed.

SAVE! Cole scampers through the middle, takes aim and fires a low shot goalwards. Davidson throws himself at the bobbling ball and paws it around the post.

Brown is again the Colcehester hero as he puts in a great challenge on Drogba inside the area. Corner.

CHELSEA SUB: Duff off, Crespo on. A final change from Mourinho. Crespo jogs on to the turf, a magnificent mane of curly hair bobbing up and down on his head.

Chelsea have had all the ball in the second half, but they've hardly created any decent chances. Davidson hasn't really been 'under the cosh'.

Chelsea prepare for another substitution; Crespo is beginning the arduous task of stripping off his tracksuit.

Garcia winces after taking a knee in the back from Huth as they challenged for a header. Huth is some sort of giant; I can imagine him tearing up tree trunks with his bare hands.

SWP runs at Brown once more, but again the plucky full-back stands firm and snuffs out the danger. He can be proud of himself.

The Colchester manager is a very animated young man; he is always urging his players onwards and upwards with rousing hand signals. I like him.

SWP and Lampard aren't singing from the same hymn sheet; they have crossed wires; mixed signals.

Carvalho is fortunate not to be booked for pulling back Garcia as the two tussled for a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area.

WIDE! HOW? Duff gets to the by-line and clips a cross to Drogba, but the £24million man contrives to head wide from four yards out. Dreadful.

Dans breaks in the midfield, but he takes the wrong option and his pass to Iwelumo is easily cut out.

Lampard's corner from the left is easily cleared. There's not much more to say about it than that.

There is a rubbish atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge this afternoon; perhaps it's the rain; it makes everyone miserable. I quite like it, though; it feels cold and wet on your skin.

OVER! Garcia skies a shot over the crossbar after getting on the end of Yeates' cross.

Johnson can't quite get Duff on his way down the left.

Chelsea win a corner when SWP's cross to the near post is put behind by Brown. Lampard curls the corner in to the middle, but Essien fouls as he jumps. Free-kick.

Drogba has pulled his socks up right over his knees; it looks as though he is wearing a pair of white leggings. Leggings used to be fashionable, back in the 1980s.

Dans is doing a good job of breaking up the play in the Chelsea midfield, but he hasn't been able to get forward as much as he'd like.

Drogba can't quite control Duff's cross inside the penalty area.

Chelsea have a spell of possession in midfield, but appear completely devoid of ideas. Lampard gives the ball away with a loose pass.

SWP beats White with a little jink of his snakey hips, but his cross is dreadful and Colchester clear.

SHOT! Johnson cuts in from the left; he can't see a passing option, so fires in a low shot. It flies a couple of yards wide of the near post, and hits the advertising hoardings with a satisfactory 'THUD!'

Ferreira's cross is good, but Baldwin makes a crucial headed clearance; Drogba was waiting behind him.

Did you know that Colchester is the oldest town in England? It's really old. Probably 1,000 years or more. That was just a guess.

Chelsea kick off the second half. It's still raining.

CHELSEA SUBS: Cole and Lampard replace Diarra and Maniche. Attacking changes from Mourinho.

HALF-TIME: Colchester are more than holding their own. Chelsea have got a real battle on their hands in the second half; this is going to be no walkover.

Duff has been almost anonymous; I forgot he was even playing until he popped up on the left wing a moment ago. Then I remembered.

Huth wrestles Yeates to the ground. Another Colchester free-kick, in a decent position. Watson sends out another signal before curling the ball in to the back post. Drogba is back to head out for another corner.

Another Colchester corner. Watson bounces the ball a couple of times before clipping the set-piece in to the near post; Diarra heads clear.

Drogba gets the better of Brown in the centre-circle, though his control then lets him down. £24million for a striker that couldn't trap a bag of sand; go figure.

A jinking SWP runs ends with another Chelsea corner. Davidson comes through a crowd of players and throws a furious fist at the ball, punching it well clear of danger.

SHOT! Halford's free-kick beats the wall, and takes a wicked bounce just before Cudicini, but the Italian claims comfortably.

Garcia is tripped by Diarra as he attempted to waltz his way through the Chelsea defence. Free-kick, 30 yards out, dead-centre. Halford stands over the ball, looking menacing...

That was Ferreira's first goal for Chelsea. He celebrated very merrily, like a schoolboy might do in the playground.

GOAL! A corner is met by Carvalho on the penalty spot; his header lands at the feet of Ferreira, who prods home from close range.

Duff is fouled by Watson, who earns a talking-to from the referee, Dermot Gallagher. He is holding an orage whistle in his hand, and looks a bit like a traffic policeman.

Drogba might as well not be playing, for all the use he is out there. He's very good at telling his team-mates what they should be doing, though; he does that with zeal and vigour. He'd make a good preacher.

Ferreira puffs out his cheeks after shanking an attempted cross in to the crowd.

WIDE! Chelsea don't deal with the set-piece at all well. The ball lands at the feet of Halford, but his shot is wild.

Yeates wins a free-kick in a dangerous spot when he is hauled to the ground by Maniche.

Essien and SWP almost combine with a nice one-two, but Brown reads the danger and hacks clear, with all the style and finesse of a builder.

SHOT! The corner is only half-cleared to Ferreira; he turns inside the box and fires a low shot goalwards, but Davidson makes a comfortable save.

SWP sprints down the right and wins a Chelsea corner. Duff curls it in...

Carvalho looks rueful. He's probably thinking to himself: "I wish I hadn't scored that own goal a moment or go. I could have done without that." He's really beating himself up about it. Poor lad.

If I were a fan of cliches, I'd probably say something like "Game on" right now.

GOOOOOOAAAAAAL! Garcia sprints down the right channel, fires a low cross in to the middle, and Carvalho, for a reason I can't fathom, doofs it in to his own goal from six yards out.

Chelsea have a big Champions League game against Barcelona coming up this week; they'll need to play better than this if they're to stand any chance of going through. That is a FACT.

There is a little bit of anxiety and frustration creeping in to the Stamford Bridge crowd; they are demanding instant gratification, and are not being sated.

John Terry looks on from the stands; he looks very smart. He is sat next to Eidur Gudjohnsen, who seems to be sending a text message on his mobile phone.

Johnson clips a cross in from the left, but Halford heads clear.

Yeates is still muttering to himself, probably replaying his recent shot in his head. "Shoulda, woulda, coulda..."

Chelsea are getting a bit sloppy with their passing, and handing possession back to Colchester. That's dangerous.

OFF THE POST! Yeates hits the post from a tight angle. The ball rebounds to safety. Colchester almost took the lead; now that would have been a story, folks.

Colchester are starting to grow in to the match; they have got a bit of self-belief now. They are getting players forward in attack and giving good support to Iwelumo.

Yeates fouls Maniche, but Chelsea can't use the free-kick. Mourinho is on his feet, pointing and gesturing to his players. He looks discontented.

SHOT! Garcia shoots from 35 yards; it goes a couple of yards over the top, but he appears happy with his effort. He smirks to a team-mate.

CHANCE! A quick throw sends Garcia free; he sprints in to the penalty area, but then rather gets caught in two minds. He opts for a cross-shot and Huth is forced to turn it behind for a corner.

OUCH! Brown and SWP clash heads. They both yelp a little, like scolded cats, and fall to the ground. But they soon get up again, and pplay goes on.

Chelsea haven't really got going; Colchester are doing a good job of stopping them playing.

Mourinho looks very downbeat about something. He tucks his head deep in to his jacket and mumbles something to himself. Probably in Portuguese.

SHOT! Iwelumo fires a shot on goal, but it flies wide of Cudicini's near post. It's raining very heavily now; most unpleasant.

SWP is confused and angry when a free-kick decision goes against him. He can't seem to fathom it all out, bless him.

Diarra has a very strange-shaped head; there seems to be a dent in it, perhaps he had an accident as a child. He's very enthusiastic; running around like a little scamp.

Colchester win a corner. Watson swings it in from the right, but Essien heads clear.

A large collection of balloons has congregated behind the Colchester goal. Some young men in hats burst them with big pitch-forks.

It's raining quite hard now. I hope the players don't catch a cold; that would be terrible.

Colchester are a tall, strong side and they are causing Chelsea a problem or two on set-pieces.

Johnson curls a low cross in to the middle from the right-hand side, but Drogba's flick at the near post goes well wide. He smiles though; he's just happy to be playing.

SWP is fouled by Brown on the touchline. The linesman waves his flag frantically.

SWP wins the first corner of the match when his attempted cross is deflected behind off Brown. He has seen a lot of the ball in the opening minutes.

Colchester win a throw, deep in the Chelsea half. Halford trots over; he wipes the ball on his shirt before hurling it in to the crowded penalty area, but Chelsea clear.

CHANCE! Davidson's clearance is poorly-struck and ends at the feet of SWP. He controls and runs towards goal, fires in a low shot, but Davidson saves with his feet.

Drogba chases down another Huth pass, but again Davidson is equal to the task.

I don't think Colchester have touched the ball yet. They play in yellow; it's very bright. Iwelumo has already got mud on his shirt; his mum won't be happy.

The Chelsea fans are singing a song, but I can't make out the words. It seems quite pleasant and jolly; an uplifting little ditty that has brought a smile to my face.

Huth hoofs a long ball down the line for SWP to chase, but the pass is too strong and runs through to Davidson. He looks angry; I don't know why.

The surface looks dreadful. It has large patches of sand on it to soak up the water.

Colchester kick off. It's raining, and there is standing water on the pitch.

Hello, I'm Alex and I'm going to try and commentate on this FA Cup match - Chelsea v Colchester.