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In extremely high temperatures, the U's started their pre-season fixtures with a 2-0 victory at Dover Athletic.

John Ward played two different teams in each half and was rewarded with a goal in each period against a hard working Blue Square South side.

Anthony Wordsworth rose above the keeper to head home a U's free kick in the first half and after the break, Clive Platt scored another header.

First year scholar Shaun Phillips got ten minutes of action in goal, while all three triallists played forty five minutes as they chased a contract with the U's.

The game kicked off in bright sunshine and the temperature nudging 30 degrees and it was the U's who unsurprisingly had the better of the early possession.

Ward started with three in midfield, with Lloyd James sitting just behind Wordsworth and Perkins, with Gillespie, Odejayi and Vincent playing up front.

It was ten minutes before the U's had their first effort on goal though, with Odejayi heading wide from a Lloyd James cross from the left.

The U's didn't have it all their own way, with Dover putting plenty of strong challenges in when the U's had possession.

The home side had a long range shot on fifteen minutes but it sailed over the bar before Odejayi hit his own effort from the edge of the box narrowly over.

On nineteen minutes, the U's took the lead, with Anthony Wordsworth heading in bravely under pressure from the Dover keeper.

Gillespie had been fouled ten yards inside the Dover half and James drifted in the free kick, which Wordsworth rose highest to head home.

Dover responded to the goal well and Cousins had to get down smartly to a shot from Joe Tabiri from twenty five yards.

James was getting a lot of the ball in midfield and he got on the end of Gillespie's cross on thirty five minutes, hitting his shot over after a great ball from Wordsworth found Gillespie on the right.

There was no further goalmouth action and the two teams went in for some much needed shade and rehydration.

The third U's triallist James Walker started the second half alongside Clive Platt, with the U's looking to extend their single goal lead from the first period.

New signings Brian Wilson and Andy Bond were also getting their first match action as U's players, with Wilson slotting in at right back and Bond playing alongside Izzet in the centre of midfield.

And it was Bond who had the U's first effort, drilling his long range shot just wide of the far post.

Pat Baldwin and Matt Heath had marshalled the U's defence well in the first ten minutes of the second half and both went forward for a corner on fifty five minutes.

Hackney's set piece was headed goalwards but after the initial header was blocked, Baldwin's effort was collected by the home keeper.

The second half U's team were just starting to put together some passes and Ian Henderson had a chance to extend the lead on fifty nine minutes.

Kem Izzet clipped a ball into the left channel for Hackney to run onto and after beating his defender, Hackney pulled the ball back into Henderson's path.

Unfortunately, the sidefooted effort flew over the bar.

A couple of minutes later, James Walker had his first sight of goal but good defending prevented the U's triallist getting a shot away.

From the resultant corner, Platt climbed well above his marker but couldn't keep his header low enough and it flew narrowly over.

In the seventieth minute, Platt did keep a header under the bar, and gave the U's a 2-0 lead. Brian Wilson had got forward on the right and found Ian Henderson, who crossed to the far post for Platt to score.

Henderson hit a great shot with the outside of his right foot but was denied by a superb save, before Lee Beevers entered the fray on seventy six minutes, replacing Brian Wilson.

A rare Dover second half attack was halted by a foul but Cousins moved comfortably across his line to take the free kick.

Youngster Shaun Phillips, who only left school this summer, made an appearance, taking his place between the sticks on eighty minutes.

It was a good exercise for the U's, with players getting valuable game time and John ward getting a good look at his new squad.

The effort was there and a lot of hard work was completed, despite the high temperatures.

The U's are back in Essex for their next game, as they travel to Scraley Road to take on Heybridge Swifts.

U's starting line up: Cousins, Maybury, Okuonghae, Reid, Coker, Perkins, James, Wordsworth, Gillespie, Odejayi, Vincent.

2nd half team: Cousins (Phillips), Wilson (Beevers), Baldwin, Heath, White, Henderson, Bond, Izzet, Hackney, Platt, Walker.