Colchester United boss Tony Humes says he was happy to hand teenager Louis Dunne his first taste of senior action in their friendly defeat against Fulham.

Dunne - the son of former U’s boss and defender Joe Dunne - appeared as a substitute for the final ten minutes of their 1-0 loss at the hands of the Cottagers, on Saturday.

The academy scholar, a regular in Wayne Brown’s under-18 side last season, had not previously played for Colchester’s first team.

But boss Humes says he was glad to give the Republic of Ireland youth international the chance to show off his skills.

Humes said: “Louis is a first-year apprentice but he’s been at the club since he was eight.

“He knows how the club works and we’ve seen him develop over the years.

“He’s progressed up to the under-21s and it was an opportunity (against Fulham) for him to get out on the pitch for ten minutes.

“He’s a good footballer – you can see that – he just needs to learn the game.

“He has to get the physical aspect to it which he will over the next few years.

“But he’s a talented player and why not get him involved in a friendly like that where there’s not too much pressure on them.”

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