Colchester United shared the spoils with Morecambe for the fifth time in six league meetings between the two sides, as the U's ended the year in fourth in League Two.

Kane Vincent-Young struck the post late on to almost win it for the home side against a visiting team that defended manfully against the U's efforts to unlock the defensive door.

However, the home side couldn't quite find a path to goal and had to make do with a point with yet another clean sheet notched up.

Norris had an early shot easily saved by Halstead in the Morecambe goal, before Cranston bent a free kick over the bar that Gilmartin was happy to watch go by.

In the quest for the first goal of the game, Szmodics had a couple of nibbles, just after the quarter hour mark.

First he darted into the box, to be denied by a great challenge by Oates, as he got his left footed shot off, before he then curled another effort over after being set up by Norris.

The visitors were proving to be a hard nut to crack and it was they who went close next on 25 minutes.

The ball broke nicely for them to attack and Leitch-Smith bore down towards goal and although shepherded away from danger, he got a shot off that went just wide.

Cranston then decided to take aim from distance, with Gilmartin fending it away. Prosser and Leitch-Smith chased the ball in, before it fell to Oates, who drove well wide.

The U's best move to date came on 35 minutes, as they combined to send Nouble into the box and his low cross saw Szmodics go to strike but saw his effort well blocked by Conlan.

Norris was beginning to see more of the ball and spun Kenyon on 41 minutes, but fired the eventual shot well over.

The visitors almost scored within a couple of minutes of the restart, as first Oates headed wide from a corner when he should have hit the target, before Cranston shot just over.

Nouble sent over a couple of dangerous crosses early in the second period, with the second finding Dickenson, whose header fwas comfortably saved. 

The U's had stepped it up in the second half, and almost got in front on 58 minutes as Vincent-Young drove into the box and forced a good low save out of Halstead.

The home side made their first change eighteen minutes into the second half, as Dickenson was replaced by Senior.

They kept looking for that moment to get that first goal of the game, as first Jackson and then Nouble had efforts blocked to keep parity as the three quarter mark approached.

Norris then had an effort wide of the near post as the U's kept the ball around the Morecambe box, but that was his last action as he was replaced by Mandron, with Pell coming on for Comley.

Morecambe were the next to go close with a low fizzer from Ellison, but Gilmartin saved comfortably as he got his body behind it.

The U's came the closest yet with four minutes to go as Vincent-Young again got in the box with an effort that hit the post and cannoned away to safety.

Mandron then took it upon himself to go for goal, with an effort that dipped just over the bar.

It was to finish all square, then, with the U's in fourth and level with third at the turn of the year.