Colchester United's reserves suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of their Southend United counterparts at the Weston Homes Community Stadium this afternoon.
The U's received a let-off in the ninth minute when Luke Sawyer struck a penalty against the post, after Tom Aldred had fouled Yannick Boli in the area.
But Colchester fell behind 11 minutes before half-time when Boli converted from close range.
And Jemal Johnson added another for the Blues, less than a minute later.
Blair Sturrock converted a third for Southend three minutes before the break, before Ashley Vincent's fine individual goal gave Colchester some hope, just before half-time.
But Johnson scored a fourth for the Blues with 20 minutes to go and although Steven Gillespie lashed home a free-kick late on for Colchester, it was too little, too late for Richard Hall's side.
For a full match report and reaction, see Wednesday's Gazette.
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