Town’s pre-season friendly at Colchester United was abandoned with eight minutes to go at 0-0 after U’s midfielder Andy Bond suffered a facial injury in a collision with his keeper Mark Cousins. Bond required lengthy treatment with the injury considered so severe that an ambulance was brought to the edge of the pitch causing the abandonment, with Bond eventually helped across to it with blood streaming down his face.
The evening had started with boss Paul Jewell handing first starts in a Town shirt to today’s signings Jay Emmanuel-Thomas and David Stockdale, and Ãvar Ingimarsson, who is over his thigh strain.
Michael Chopra was fine to start after his minor ankle knock at Southend, while Tamás Priskin was on the bench having missed the visit to Roots Hall. Nathan Ellington missed out with a shoulder injury sustained in training on Monday.
The Blues’ first ever game at the Weston Homes Community Stadium started - 15 minutes late due to crowd congestion with 2,700 Town fans making the short trip - at a frenetic pace but with neither side creating anything significant in front of goal. Carlos Edwards and Lee Martin had crosses from either side cut out as Town had the better of it. New signing Emmanuel-Thomas, who has the longest surname of any player to have featured for the Blues’ first team, was playing just off Chopra.
From an 11th minute Drury corner Tommy Smith’s header was deflected away. Ingimarsson played the ball back out to right wideman Drury, whose powerful strike was also blocked.
Grant Leadbitter, again skippering, shot weakly through to Colchester keeper Mark Cousins, then, as the game passed the 15-minute mark, Anthony Wordsworth lashed the home side’s first chance well over after a cross from the left had been allowed to reach him on the edge of the box. On 23 Colchester centre-half Magnus Okuonghae headed straight at Stockdale.
Chances continued to be rare despite the game being played at a decent tempo. Lee Martin’s 36th minute cross from the right was nodded away from Ãvar Ingimarsson at the far post, then from the resultant corner, Aaron Cresswell volleyed powerfully but inaccurately.
On 40 Colchester striker Kayode Odejayi, who had just returned from having received stiches to a head wound, left his foot in as Stockdale cleared, referee Darren Deadman choosing not to issue the yellow card which would probably have been shown in a league game.
In the final minute of first half normal time, Cresswell whipped in a cross from the left and Okuonghae headed behind just in front of Emmanuel-Thomas six yards out in front of goal.
Tommy Smith, who ended last season on loan with the U’s, smashed a shot well over, moments before referee Deadman blew his whistle.
Neither side had come that close to scoring at any stage of the half. The Blues had probably had the better of it but with the players’ lack of familiarity evident at times. New boy Emmanuel-Thomas added an aerial physical presence and showed his clever feet on a number of occasions.
Keeper Stockdale had handled confidently but hadn’t been overly tested, while Ingimarsson was an organisational and solid presence at the back and looks a potential candidate for the captain’s armband.
Jewell, who had watched the first half from the stand before making his way down to the dug-out for the second period, swapped Damien Delaney and Josh Carson for Smith and Drury at the break.
Four minutes into the new period, Colchester sub Ashley Vincent laid the ball off to Ian Henderson, who shot straight at Stockdale. Moments later, Vincent sent an effort over from the edge of the box.
Stockdale showed exactly why Jewell has brought him to Portman Road in the 54th minute when Colchester came close to going in front. Lloyd James sent in a corner from the left and Wordsworth powered a header goalwards which the on-loan Fulham man superbly palmed away from goal down to his right.
Luke Hyam replaced Martin on 55, allowing Emmanuel-Thomas to move out wide on the left then eight minutes later Jason Scotland replaced Chopra, who had shown his now usual sharp movement but without having had a chance to add to his goals.
Aaron Cresswell showed off his set piece ability in the 66th minute, hitting a well-struck freekick from the right across the box just beyond his on-rushing team-mates and similarly just wide of the post.
Three minutes later, Tamás Priskin and Mark Kennedy replaced Emmanuel-Thomas and Cresswell, who had put in his most impressive performance for the Blues so far.
The game came to a premature end after a mix-up on the edge of the Colchester area led to Cousins and Andy Bond colliding, the keeper appearing to catch the midfielder in the face with his head as they looked to clear a Town ball over the top which Scotland was chasing.
It was immediately clear that Bond had suffered a bad injury with medical staff quickly being called on to the pitch and with Cousins, who had received a more minor cut, appearing upset by the incident.
After a couple of minutes, there was a PA announcement that the game would be abandoned as an ambulance would have to be driven on to the pitch. A minute or so later, a groggy and bloodied Bond was helped to the side of the pitch and into the ambulance as the rest of the players made their way to the tunnel with some sections of the Town support booing and clearly unhappy at what was an understandable decision by referee Darren Deadman.
It was an unfortunate end to a friendly which looked as if it would have ended 0-0 in any case with the two sides creating only one significant chance, Wordsworth’s header which Stockdale saved brilliantly to his right, the game’s one moment of real quality.
Town will feel disappointed at having failed to test Cousins and that another pre-season game against lower league opposition has ended — albeit prematurely — without them being able to illustrate their divisional superiority in terms of the result.
Town: Stockdale, Edwards, Cresswell (Kennedy 69), Ingimarsson, Smith (Delaney 46), Leadbitter (Healy 73), Drury (Carson 46), Bowyer, Emmanuel-Thomas (Priskin 69), Chopra (Scotland 63), Martin (Hyam 55). Unused: Ainsley, Fülöp.
Colchester: Cousins, Rose, Okuonghae, Heath (Bond 56), O’Toole, Izzet (Baldwin 56), Odejayi (Vincent 46), Henderson, Wordsworth, James, White (Duguid 56). Unused: Eastman, Coker, Arnott, Hamilton, Bender, Pentney. Referee: Darren Deadman. Att: 6,268 (Town: 2,700).