COLCHESTER UNITED 2

BURNLEY 0

Under-23 Professional Development League Two

GOALS in each half from Tariq Issa and Decarrey Sheriff secured Colchester United under-23s victory over their Burnley counterparts, at Florence Park.

First-team players Ryan Inniss and Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe both featured for Wayne Brown's side, who claimed victory over their northern section opponents.

The U's went ahead after just four minutes through Issa, who drove a low, left-foot shot into the net after being picked out by Ryan Gondoh.

Burnley almost struck back immediately through Ntumba Mahanka, who got in behind Inniss.

But keeper Dillon Barnes was down to smother the shot.

As Colchester threatened again, Gondoh picked out the impressive Ollie Sims who broke down the left and into the box.

He rode a tackle which caught him but he kept his feet to get in the cross when had he gone down, it might have earned his side a penalty.

The U's were on top in the first half and Ogedi-Uzokwe saw a shot blocked by Oliver Younger.

But Burnley stepped up the pressure after and dominated for a ten-minute spell.

However, they found keeper Barnes in fine form as he made a whole series of saves, the pick of which was an exceptional close-range stop to deny Aiden O’Neill.

Barnes foiled O'Neill again soon after and also saved from Christian N’Guessan.

But having survived that spell, the U’s went very close as Sims' great delivery saw Ogedi-Uzokwe denied by the combination of keeper Conor Mitchell and defender Younger.

Sheriff and Ollie Kensdale replaced Ogedi-Uzokwe and Inniss on the hour mark, as Colchester pressed for a second.

Sims rustled the top of the netting while Sheriff shot wide of the far post, before Issa's fine deflected shot flew just wide.

But Colchester wrapped up their win on the 90-minute mark when Sheriff drove into the net, after Gondoh had robbed Ali Koiki of the ball and picked him out.

COLCHESTER UNITED: Barnes, Wright, Wilson, Warde, Rooney, Inniss, Gondoh, Anderson, Ogedi-Uzokwe, Issa, Sims. Substitutes: Kensdale, Allarakhia, Sheriff, Kurasik.