by BRIAN WALLER

UNDER-18

COLCHESTER UNITED 3

OXFORD UNITED 4

FA Youth Cup

second round

COLCHESTER suffered heartache after conceding a last-gasp winner and missing out on a potential home tie against Maidenhead United.

The hosts started brightly with a good run down the right from Lordan Akolbire.

However, Oxford had the better of the early action and Connor Ferguson had a goal disallowed for offside, after a ball in from Leon Chambers-Parillon.

The visitors then won a corner, which Akolbire headed away and the ball back in was headed clear by Billy Cracknell.

Poor defending cost the U’s as a ball to the right saw two home players, Joseph Joseph and Al-Amin Kazeem, try to let the ball run out for a goal-kick - only to lose out to Tyler Goodhram.

The Oxford man managed to win the ball and clip it back into the box for Slavi Spasov to put the chance away.

It could have got worse as Fabio Lopes got in down the left, but Chandler Hallett made a very good low, left-handed save.

Harvey Sayer found Al-Amin Kazeem but his deflected shot landed in the keeper’s hand.

Colchester were starting to create chances and Akolbire broke down the right.

After a pass by Marley Marshall-Miranda to Diogo Freitas-Gouveia, his effort went wide of the near post.

The home team were offered a lifeline when, from a corner, Jake Hutchinson was fouled at the far post by Nico Jones.

However, the resulting spot-kick was saved.

Mistakes were starting to prove costly for Colchester.

A marvellous home goal did then get them back on level terms, though.

Kazeem made a superb burst down the left and, despite being held and fouled by Goodhram, he whipped over a pinpoint cross which Jack Hutchinson headed into the net.

Sam Cornish slid in on Fabio Sole and was the first to get a yellow card.

Then the U’s were a threat again as, after good passing at the back, Kazeem slid the ball in behind the defence but the keeper was there before Sayer.

Andre Hasanally found Sayer but his dangerous ball in was cleared.

Half-time arrived with the score 1-1 but that was soon to change.

From a right-sided throw, Marshall-Miranda cut into the box and crossed.

When the ball was flicked on, Hasanally, on the back post, put the chance away.

As Oxford responded, Michael Elechi got in down the left and won a corner but the delivery by Goodhram was cleared at the near post by Akolbire.

Ferguson won the ball and a delivery from the right saw Fabio Lopes in space and he thumped the ball into the net to make it 2-2.

It was to be a bad few minutes for Colchester as Cracknell, trying to shepherd the ball out of play, was robbed by Goodhram and then fouled by the U’s defender, who was booked.

However, the free-kick was wasted as it was put straight into the hands of keeper Hallett.

Marshall-Miranda was booked after a foul on Chambers-Parillon.

Corners were conceded and, from one, another foul in the box by Cracknell was spotted by the referee, who gave a penalty which Hallett saved from Lopes.

No sooner had Oxford missed one penalty, they won another four minutes later when Goodhram broke down the left into the area.

He was fouled by Cracknell but this time it was a decisive spot-kick put away by Spasov, to the keeper’s right.

It went from bad to worse for the hosts as Marshall-Miranda went in strong on Goodhram and received a second yellow card.

A change saw Samson Tovide on for Sayer and a defender lost the ball to Freitas-Gouveia, who looked to break but was soon closed down.

A minute later and it was Adam Smith on for Spasov.

Then a ball in from the right saw Jones’ volley fly just over the bar.

Chambers-Parillon was booked for kicking the ball after the whistle had gone.

From being out of the game, the home side finally started to exert pressure.

A couple of crosses in deflected off Oxford bodies and then a perfect cross in from the right by Akolbire reached Diogo Freitas-Gouveia, who turned and shot in off the far post.

Colchester were now getting on top and a ball through the centre was helped on by Hutchinson.

Hasanally broke clear on the edge of the box but was nudged from behind and went down. However, the referee gave nothing.

Poor defensive play by Nico Jones saw him lose the ball to Hutchinson and then slip over, allowing the U’s striker to get away down the right.

However, his cross-shot was wide of the far post.

For the away side, Barnett was replaced by Jack Gardner.

Losing the ball, Akolbire made a high challenge on Elechi and was booked.

After Kazeem lost the ball, Oxford counter-attacked but, after Ferguson went down under the challenge of Joseph, the referee waved away the penalty appeals. With two minutes to go, a final away sub saw Callum Crook on for Lopes.

The U’s produced lots of late pressure.

Free-kick after free-kick was won.

One was somehow saved and scrambled clear from the goalmouth.

However, Oxford broke from the last and, with lots of players up in support, and after Smith set up Crook, it needed a superb save by Hallett low down to his right to keep the score level.

Then Colchester tried to break and Goodhram got the booking he should have had an hour before as he fouled Akolbire.

However, in a shock finale, the visitors broke again and their delivery from the left must have taken a deflection as a corner was awarded.

Despite the referee signalling four extra minutes, the back-post header by Adam Smith was deemed to come in the 96th minute.

The U’s barely had time to kick off and the final whistle went.

Colchester United: Chandler Hallett, Lordan Akolbire, Billy Cracknell, Joseph Joseph, Al-Amin Kazeem, Diogo Freitas-Gouveia, Andre Hasanally, Sam Cornish, Marley Marshall-Miranda, Harvey Sayer and Jake Hutchinson. Used sub: Samson Tovide. Unused subs: Ted Collins, Gene Kennedy, Tom Stagg, Kacy Parish, Donell Thomas and Frankie Terry.

Oxford United: Max Evans, Keanu Barnett, Viktor Milton, Nico Jones, Michael Elechi, Fabio Sole, Tyler Goodhram, Fabio Lopes, Connor Ferguson, Leon Chambers-Parillion and Slavi Spasov. Used subs: Adam Smith, Jack Gardner and Callum Crook. Unused subs: Sam Johnson, Jordan Edwards, Clinton Nosakhare and Damian Niemcycki.