by BRIAN WALLER

UNDER-18

COLCHESTER UNITED 0

CHARLTON ATHLETIC 0

WHEN these sides met at Florence Park in the final game of last season, it was a nine-goal thriller and the U’s lost 6-3.

This time, there were no goals but still plenty of entertainment and action throughout.

With Monday's under-23 game at Crystal Palace cancelled and moved to mid-November, Colchester decided to include a lot more of their scholars than is usually the case.

The U’s began well and dominated the opening 45 minutes.

Midway through the half, and twice in a minute, they went close.

First, Hutchinson got away down the right and cut the ball back to Hasanally.

He fired in a shot but keeper Joe Osaghae made a good save to his left.

Then, seconds later, Miller's cross from the right saw the keeper save at close range from Hutchinson.

The visitors made some poor challenges and one of them floored Hasanally.

Chilvers strode forward and, from the edge of the box, he fired a great strike just wide.

A sweeping ball found Miller. He came back inside but his shot was blocked.

From Chilvers' corner, Wickham's header was saved by Osaghae.

Two minutes before half-time, the ball was fed right to Miller.

His shot took a deflection but the winger was denied by a superb tip over the bar by the Addicks keeper.

Sam Cornish found Miller on the right and although the ball was partly cleared, it was fired back goalwards by Hasanally.

However, Billy Frencho was well positioned to head it off the line.

On 59 minutes, the U’s partly cleared an attack but when it was fed back forward to Gody, he was denied by a superb tip over the bar by Coulter.

Coulter got down to his right to smother a shot by Agyemang and then Williams found Gody, whose cross from the right was headed out.

It was the away side who went close twice in the same attack.

Williams curled in a great shot which struck the far post.

The ball came out again and the follow up effort by Albon was blocked.

Williams then found Isiaka but Kazeem cleared his cross.

From Vennings’ left-wing corner, the shot was blocked.

When Hasanally broke down the left, he was felled by Agyemang.

Chilvers spotted a good run down the left by Hasanally but his cross saw Stagg’s shot blocked by Barker.

On 80 minutes, a cross-field ball from Chilvers found Miller.

However, from his high delivery, the keeper failed to hold the ball and it led to a corner.

From this, a header down by Randell saw the keeper stoop to save.

Stagg had a shot blocked and then and then Kesey found Agyemang, but the block on his shot led to a corner.

The ball was knocked goalwards but eventually scrambled clear.