Colchester United have drawn 1-1 against Mansfield Town, as they came from behind to earn a good draw against the high-flying Stags.
It was the hosts Mansfield Town that took the lead, with Kane Hemmings lifting his effort over Sam Walker after twenty one minutes.
Early in the second half, Brandon Comley got a U's equaliser, hitting an angled drive that beat Conrad Logan on its way into the bottom corner.
From the off, it looked an open game and it was the visitors that had the first effort.
Brennan Dickenson got free on the angle of the box, but couldn’t keep his shot down and the ball sailed into the home supporters behind the goal.
Brandon Comley then followed suit, this time from well outside the area, as the U’s were more than matching their opponents in the early stages.
On twenty minutes, the U’s got a better chance, as Drey Wright got in behind the defence from a Kurtis Guthrie through ball.
Unfortunately, he caught the ball with the outside of his boot and like the two previous U’s efforts, Conrad Logan in the home goal was untroubled.
A minute later, it was the hosts that had a chance – a chance that was clinically finished.
No U’s player took charge as a central ball bounced into the box and as Sam Walker advanced off his line, Kane Hemmings nipped between him and Tom Eastman to lift the shot into the empty net.
The goal certainly gave the hosts a boost, an Walker was sharp down at his near post to deny Danny Rose two minutes later.
There was a break in play while Tom Lapslie received treatment for a knock to the head, but he was able to continue.
The knock came from the arm of Alex MacDonald, and it was the Mansfield midfielder who had the next effort, hitting a long range free-kick over the bar.
The U’s came back into the game towards half time though, and there were two openings that both tested Logan in the home goal.
Wright struck a strong half volley goalwards on forty one minutes, that Logan palmed away, and then Guthrie was denied as Logan closed him down before a defender cleared a few yards from his own goalline.
That was the last action of the half, with the U’s needing a positive second half to get back into the match and to close the gap to the Play-Offs.
The U’s started the first half on the front foot, but the start to the second period was even better from John McGreal’s side.
Tom Lapslie showed great skill to get free on the right but his low cross was blocked at the near post.
The U’s regained possession from that clearance and Brandon Comley burst past his man and into the box, before drilling his angled shot low past Logan into the bottom corner.
Following the goal, the U’s took the game to the hosts, but couldn’t get themselves another goal in that dominant period.
They then had Kane Vincent-Young to thank for keeping the game level, when he headed the ball onto the bar when it was heading into the top corner from a Digby header.
Olamide Shodipo, Sean Murray and Ben Stevenson were introduced as the U’s searched for a late winner, but the hosts were also after a decider in what was a decent game for the neutral observer.
Walker made a double save from Benning and then Melis before Guthrie was denied a far post header by a last ditch touch by a home defender.
A win was the target for the U’s, but a draw against one of the favourites for promotion was a positive point and performance going into the final ten games of the campaign.