Colchester United threw away a great Boxing Day opportunity to open up a huge gap over Second Division strugglers Peterborough at Layer Road.
Four points and six places clear of the Posh going into this lower half of the table clash, the U's looked to be heading for a vital one-goal win and a first League double over their visitors thanks to a stunning Kemal Izzet volley in first half injury-time.
But they failed to put the finishing touches to three or four good second-half chances only to be punished by an opportunist equaliser via Peterborough top scorer Andy Clarke eight minutes before full-time.
Clarke's goal was good, but Izzet's was better.
Peterborough central defender Simon Rea only managed to partially head clear an inswinging Joe Keith corner.
The ball fell to Izzet who thrashed an unstoppable, 20-yard volley through a crowded goalmouth past visiting keeper Lee Harrison.
It was the former Charlton midfielder's third goal of the season following his double act in the 2-0 home win over Chesterfield in mid-October.
"Kem took his goal well," said U's boss Steve Whitton. "He scores those kind of goals all the time on the training ground.
"But we created three or four other good opportunities while we were on top early in the second half and we should have scored again which I'm sure would have finished them off."
Typical of Fry he summed up Clarke's late goal as 'terrific.'
He said: "It was the end result of a good move.
"Clarkey has got us out of trouble many times and has more than repaid my faith in him.
"We came to Colchester with an aim not to get beaten and it was a shame we found ourselves behind at half-time.
"I was very disappointed with the first half, but also disappointed that we didn't go on to win in the end," he added.
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Published Friday, December 27, 2002
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