Colchester United

The game started at a hectic pace but both teams were trying to play out from the back if they could as long balls were a rarity in the early stages.

Goals from Diaz Wright and Josh Moore grabbed the win as the U's got the result they were looking for.

The match was evenly contested throughout and both sides played some impressive football in front of an appreciative crowd of 167.
Colchester United's U16s picked up a victory against a decent Norwich City side on Thursday night in a friendly at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

The U’s were the first to get a half sight of goal, with a bursting run forward from Diaz Wright seeing him drag a shot wide of the far post.

Norwich’s first chance came 15 minutes in after they won a free kick on the edge of the box. Benny Ashley-Seal took it, but his looping effort was always going over the bar.

There was some positive, attacking football on display from both teams through the first half hour of the match, but both defences stood firm against the tests in front of them.

And it was not until 36 minutes that the first goal came, with Colchester getting it. Issa worked his magic on the right hand edge of the box and as the low cross into the area was not dealt with, Wright was on hand to slam home.

But the lead was short lived as City scored in similar fashion two minutes later. Higgs found Lawn in the middle and he tucked home from close range.

At the start of the second half, it was almost a third goal of the same type. The Canaries, who had introduced Aransibia and Kamal at half time, got away on the counter attack and Ashley-Seal sent over a low cross that Stephens did well to slide away from danger for a corner.

The second half was more open than the first and Issa glided a great ball over the top of the Canaries’ defenders to set up Wright, who smacked a low shot that Hale-Brown turned away with his feet.

The U’s main challenge was beating the hugely impressive Boateng at the back who was both physically robust but also quick and technically strong too.

He denied Brown just after the hour mark as it looked like the U’s winger was destined to score at the far post.

Aransibia had a chance as he stepped inside with twenty minutes gone in the second half and he smashed in a low shot that Robinson collected in front of him.

City were having the better of it in the middle of the second half, and Higgs, who had set up the first, almost scored a second as he shot from distance but forced a fine save out of Robinson.

They looked like they were the one s who would get their noses in front but some great trickery from Brown helped give the U’s the lead with half an hour gone in the second half.

He beat his full back to stand a cross up to the far post, where substitute Moore forced a fine save out of Hale-Brown, who turned it onto the post. But the U’s man was the first to react and slot home the home side’s second.

City full back Syme got forward not long afterwards to get onto the end of a cross from the right, but Robinson tipped it over to preserve the U’s advantage.

But it was not to prove important as the home side ran out winners.

Moore then had a chance to get his second of the game late on from a U’s corner. His first effort was blocked but he could only lift his second over the bar.