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.