Brett Pitman scored the only goal as Ipswich Town earned the local spoils over plucky Colchester United at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.
The striker took advantage of a fantastic ball over the top by Paul Digby to round Town fan Sam Walker in the Colchester goal six minutes before the interval.
The second half was a rather drab affair although both Andre Dozzell in the first half, and his 58th minute replacement Teddy Bishop, showed touches of real class.
The friendly win ensured Ipswich lifted the Alderton Trusler Cup, a trophy that has been reinstated between the two sides for the first time since the 1990s.
Ipswich arrived with a 27-man squad which gave little away regarding Mick McCarthy’s thinking ahead of the season opener against Barnsley in little over two weeks.
Dozzell started on the right hand side of midfield but arguably the bigger news was on the bench with new signing Adam Webster joining the returning Daryl Murphy — but the lack of David McGoldrick remained a concern for the impressive travelling following numbering more than 1,200.
A bright opening for Ipswich saw Pitman spurn the first half-chance, firing over after neat interplay between Freddie Sears and Cameron Stewart.
Brennan Dickenson, one of Colchester’s five new signings who started the match, then fired high and wide for John McGreal’s men.
The home side went closer in the 16th minute when Drey Wright turned inside Myles Kenlock to tee up Denny Johnstone, whose first-time shot was comfortably held by Dean Gerken.
Digby, subject to some choice first-half words from his manager, headed Kevin Bru’s freekick wide just after the half-hour mark before the sliding Kurtis Guthrie just failed to convert another dangerous cross from Dickenson.
The breakthrough came for Ipswich seven minutes before the interval when Digby’s precise ball over the top was neatly headed beyond Walker by Pitman, who calmly found the unguarded net. It was an error from Ipswich fan Walker, but both Digby and Pitman can take heart from the opener.
Minutes later, it was almost two when a lovely move, again instigated by a raking Digby pass out of defence, saw Pitman and Stewart combine but Dozzell was unable to turn a dangerous deep cross goalwards.
Pitman then tested the diving Walker from distance as the game burst into some form of life.
The second half started in rather sluggish fashion before Stewart fizzed a freekick just over on the hour mark earned by neat trickery from Bishop, who replaced Dozzell in the 58th minute.
A few dangerous set pieces and crosses aside, the game was typical pre-season fare with the temperatures finally starting to drop, but so was the action.
Tommy Smith saw a header blocked before the plethora of expected subs finally materialised in the 68th minute when McCarthy made eight changes, Webster making his Town bow. Only Dean Gerken was kept on from the side that started.
Bishop was denied what looked like a decent shout for a penalty in the 76th minute after he was played in by a razor-sharp pass by Murphy.
Clearly Town’s biggest threat in the second half, Bishop then spurned a good opportunity after breaking clear down the right but opting to try and cut in rather than playing the ball across.
The second 45 minutes was drifting but Colchester almost claimed an unlikely draw — and a share of the Alderton Trusler Cup — when the lively Dion Sembie-Ferris teed up Chris Porter whose shot was deflected just wide with Gerken beaten.
In terms of performances, Digby had to endure something of a verbal battering from McCarthy but, at times, his long, precise balls out of defence were a feature, as was Dozzell’s assurance on the ball.
The second half was a poor affair, punctuated by the expected wave of subs — even if they were a little later than expected.
Bishop was far and away the standout figure of the second period while Murphy also looked sharp, perhaps predictably after locking horns with France just a few weeks previously.
New boy Webster made some nice touches but more serious tests are still to come.
Town: Gerken; Chambers (Emmanuel 69), Digby (Webster 69), Smith (Berra 69), Kenlock (Knudsen 46); Dozzell (Bishop 58), Douglas (Hyam 69), Bru (Skuse 69), Stewart (McDonnell 69); Pitman (Murphy 69), Sears (McLoughlin 69). Unused: Blanchfield, Robinson, Malarczyk, Patterson, Morris, Bialkowski.
Photos: Richard Calver