Colchester United have lost 1-0 at Grimsby Town in their latest away game.
The first half saw both sides have clear cut chances, with Luke Norris denied by James McKeown and Rene Gilmartin's point blank save preventing the hosts scoring.
The only goal of the game came just after the hour mark, when Wes Thomas scored from the angle into the far corner of the U's net.
First, Ryan Jackson’s cross found Kane Vincent-Young on the left, he rolled it to Harry Pell but the shot from the U’s midfielder went wide of the target.
At the other end seconds later, a mishit shot was met at the far post by Charles Vernam but a point blank save from Rene Gilmartin kept the scores level.
The best chance of the first half fell to Luke Norris, but James McKeown made a great save as the U’s top scorer hit the shot too close to him.
Frank Nouble had made that chance for Norris by nicking the ball from a home defender, and he himself then headed just over from a right wing cross.
Elliot Embleton was looking dangerous for the hosts, and he caused problems for the U’s defence twice in quick succession on the thirty seventh minute.
His low cross was cleared by Vincent-Young with Wes Thomas loitering, and then his shot was smothered by Frankie Kent and Tom Eastman before rolling into the grateful arms of Gilmartin.
The U’s finished the half the stronger though, with a Norris free-kick finding the midriff of McKeown and Pell drilling a shot just wide from twenty yards out.
The start of the second period was much more cagey from both sides, and it wasn’t until just before the hour mark that a clear cut chance came along.
And it was a great chance for the U’s to open the scoring, but Courtney Senior’s header at the far post crashed back off the face of the crossbar after good work from Vincent-Young on the left.
It proved expensive for the U’s, with Grimsby opening the scoring on sixty four minutes.
Ryan Jackson gave away possession and Grimsby quickly got the ball forward to Thomas, who cut inside and drilled a shot into the far corner of the net.
Mikael Mandron and Brennan Dickenson were introduced, and the U’s spent the remainder of the game camped in the Grimsby half.
Senior had another header on seventy two minutes, but guided it just the wrong side of the post with McKeown scrambling across his line.
Frankie Kent went to ground to reach the ball for a shot, but that also went wide as the U’s continued to push for a late equaliser.
The final chance for that leveller came on eight six minutes, but Pell was twice denied by blocks before Dickenson drilled his angled shot over the crossbar.
The final whistle went after five minutes of injury time, and the U’s had been thwarted by a defensive display as good as the U’s second half at Morecambe at the weekend.