Colchester United have been fined £1,000 for their part in the Layer Road fracas with Oldham Athletic last September.

As she prepared for tonight's rearranged trip to Brentford, U's chief executive Marie Partner said: "I'm amazed.

"I'm pleasantly surprised by the small amount we've been fined, but I'm very surprised that Oldham have not been fined a penny."

The U's were facing the prospect of a hefty £10,000 fine left over from the incident-packed first clash between the two clubs at Layer Road, won 1-0 by the Latics, when respective captains Clint Hill and the U's Mark Warren were given their marching orders.

Both clubs were subsequently charged with failing to control their players, yet incredibly, the Football Association's disciplinary committee had still not dealt with the matter late last week some five-and-a-half months later.

The U's were fined £10,000 along with Wycombe Wanderers for their part in a previous brawl at Layer Road during a goalless draw in November 2000.

Meanwhile, England youth and Under-20 international Johnnie Jackson is set to make his debut for Colchester United at Brentford tonight.

The 21-year-old Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is hoping to rubber stamp a one-month loan deal with the U's before making the trip to Griffin Park after a short training spell with his new Layer Road team-mates.

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Published Tuesday, March 11, 2003

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