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Youth Team Complete O's Double

Posted on: Mon 12 Oct 2009

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REPORT BY BRIAN WALLER, PICTURE BY DEAN THIRD
Craig Arnott's double secured a comfortable home win in their first league match for a while, after the recent League Cup series of games.

Colchester won an early free kick with Louis Crowther earning a rebuke from the referee. This was taken by Conor McCloskey who found Shane Stamp on the left, but he was well tackled as he went to shoot.

A wayward kick by Orient then gave Colchester an unexpected corner, McCloskey played it short to Louis O'Sullivan but he put his left footed effort over the bar.

A loose ball then ran for O's Jake Argent and just when he seemed to be getting away, Bradley Hamilton got back to make an excellent tackle to halt his progress.

Play went straight to the other end with Jordan Pavett getting in, but when he tried to lift the ball over keeper Daniel Bygrave, the keeper stuck up a hand to tip the ball away.

A late tackle by Crowther saw him trouble again, as he caught O'Sullivan a bit late, but the referee seemed to be happy just to have a word.

Just after the quarter of an hour mark it was O'Sullivan with the pass, and when it dropped for Pavett, he tried his luck but the effort was a bit too high and a bit too wide.

Craig Arnott then set Jordan Sanderson up for a run on the right, but his effort flashed across the goalmouth.

McCloskey was enjoying an excellent game and next up he fed Arnott in on the right, but his attempt to cross in was well cut out by Elliott Dabbs, at the expense of a corner.

Sanderson delivered this in from the right, but Trevor Ajim on the stretch could not control his header, which was off target.

Forward went the visitors this time and in an effort to clear, Stamp skied his clearance skywards but it was well caught by his keeper Shane Cusack under pressure.

The U's then broke the deadlock as Bradley Hamilton took the throw in long, Pavett nodded down for Arnott to sweep the ball in nine minutes before half time.

Another good chance fell for the visitors from a free kick, as Cusack failed to deal well with a free kick, but again the man on the line came to the U's aid by signalling for a hand ball.

The visitors then cleared a U's move, but Arnott retrieved the ball on the left to lay it back for Stamp, whose cross in saw Pavett go at but miss with a diving header.

From a corner, again the O's threatened as Cestor Mike rose high with the header, but Cusack was smartly down to his right to save.

Early play in the second half saw not a lot in it, but Glowacki then had a couple of nervy moments, first his team mate sold him a bit short with the lay back, and in trying to clear he was caught a bit late.

Then moments later he went to kick clear but miss and it could have been very costly, but after Argent managed to get the better of Ajim, it was Cusack again with another smart save.

This proved so crucial as, a minute later, the U`s struck to make it 2-0.

Great work down the flank by Sanderson saw him get away on the right and cross in low, and there was Arnott on the back post knocking the ball in.

After a foul was conceded, Stamp spoke out of turn and was booked, before the home team had a great chance to seal the victory.

In a swift counter attack move, it was Lartey going forward, he had two men on his left unmarked to find, and it was Pavett rather than Arnott who was picked out.

The former lifted the ball deep to the far post, from there the header by Lartey was well tipped over the bar by the keeper.

Whilst Colchester did just about enough to win, the visitors were very disappointing and their efforts summed up when the ball went out to Boakye on the right and his effort went sailing over the bar.

Colchester: Shane Cusack, Bradley Hamilton, John Glowacki, Trevor Ajim, Shane Stamp, Conor McCloskey, Jordan Sanderson, Louis O`Sullivan, Sam Bradley, Craig Arnott and Jordan Pavett

Used subs: Jordan Lartey, Ross Gilfedder and Ryan Melaugh and unused sub: Andrew Dickey