Colchester United's U18s have lost 3-2 against Bristol City
In the game that was played at Florence Park on Saturday, Liam Bailey's youngsters went 3-0 behind early on, before goals from Freitas-Gouveia and Hutchinson reduced the arrears.
After a terrible first quarter of an hour, the U’s had it all to do after they trailed 3-0 so early in the match.
It was the home side who went close first though, as early as fifteen seconds when Diogo Freitas-Gouveia flashed a ball across the City box, which nobody could get on the end of.
As the visitors responded, the U’s struggled to deal with a ball into their box but were relieved when Jago Lott nodded wide.
Freitas-Gouveia then found some space on the right but keeper Aaron Sainsbury saved well down to his right. It had been a frenetic start to the game, and a goal was always coming.
The first came on four minutes when U’s defender Lordan Akolbire left his back pass short and Sam Bell nipped in from the left to score from a very tight angle.
Then Bristol got a second goal from the left wing corner, with Ayman Benedous volleying his shot into the net on the back post on ten minutes. And on twelve minutes, it got even worse for the U’s.
Another poor back pass, this time by Joseph Joseph went straight to Bell who fed Benedous who put the chance away to make it 3-0.
The U’s did response, Sam Cornish’s shot lacked power though and was an easy save for the visiting keeper.
When City broke on the right, the shot was straight at home keeper Chandler Hallett, before Freitas-Gouveia dragged his shot wide of the far post.
City continued to pose all the real problems though, and Benedous set up Gould whose drive was cleared from the goalmouth by Fouche.
Just after the midpoint in the half and the home team were back in it. A fine pass by Cornish found the run of Jake Hutchinson down the right and from his cross, Freitas-Gouveia scored to make it 3-1 on twenty four minutes.
The two sides both created a number of half chances in the remaining minutes of the first half, but no more goals were forthcoming and the score was 3-1 at the break.
At the start of the second half, the U’s took the game to City, but found it hard to create the clear cut chances that might have resulted in a second goal.
Their persistence paid off on seventy two minutes though, with Hutchinson making it 3-2. Fouche got the ball wide to Freitas-Gouveia, and he crossed for Hutchinson to hook home.
The goal gave the U’s some confidence for going for an equaliser, but it also made City determined not to let their lead slip.
And it was the visitors who won out the late battle, holding out to win 3-2.