Town’s U18s suffered a 5-1 defeat at the hands of local rivals Colchester United, despite taking a first-half lead through Albert Wilton at a wet and windy Playford Road this morning.
The game started well for the young Blues, who were looking to bounce back from Tuesday's FA Youth Cup defeat to Blackpool, when Wilton headed in from a corner early in the first half, but two quick goals from Dean Ager and Callum Anderson had the visitors in front before Noah Chilvers got a third from a freekick just before the break.
The second 45 minutes got off to a bad start with Chilvers smashing in his second and Colchester’s fourth of the afternoon with Ollie Kensdale adding the fifth from a corner just after the half-hour mark to finish the scoring.
In a game that produced plenty of chances it was the visitors who had the first opportunity. Ager collected the ball on the right wing following a corner and sent the ball across the box, with Kensdale’s glancing header taking it wide of the left post.
Alan Lee’s side took an early lead, scoring what would turn out to be a consolation, in the 12th minute with a well-rehearsed training ground set-piece.
Thomas Hughes put two hands in the air to signal a routine before placing the ball perfectly in to the near post for Wilton to head past Callum Coulter.
The U’s stepped up their attacking play and a well-worked move saw Ager in on goal, and it took a quick save down to Toby Egan’s right to push away from danger.
Ager was in on goal again in the 18th minute after Jones’s low ball across goal found him just inside the area, but a block from Corrie Ndaba stopped the shot on its way towards goal.
Four minutes later the scores were level. Another low ball from the left, this time from Ollie Sims, found Ager unmarked and he confidently struck the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.
It only took two minutes for Colchester to add a second. With the ball bouncing loose on the edge on the box Anderson swivelled and struck on the volley with his left foot, sending the ball flying past Egan as it slammed into the back of the net.
The young Blues did look to get back in the game before the break with Jack Lankester having a shot held by Coulter before the U’s keeper was required to tip Wilton’s low shot across goal wide for a corner.
With 10 minutes of the half remaining, Colchester continued to push for a third. Sims played Chilvers through on goal and the midfielder struck the post with his low effort.
The elusive third goal finally came in unfortunate circumstances. Chilvers swung in a low right-footed free-kick from the left-wing with both attacker and defender missing it in the box, allowing the ball to bounce off the wet turf and into the right side of the goal.
The young Blues barely had time to get going in the second half when Colchester grabbed their fourth in the 49th minute. The ball rolled to Chilvers 20-yards out and his firmly-struck shot left Egan watching as it lifted high into the left side of the goal.
Ipswich did look to find a way back into the game and Lankester’s precise ball across the box to Kian Ronan looked to have produced a goal, but Coulter managed to block.
Lankester had a chance of his own in the 55th minute but lacked composure when Dylan Crowe’s cross came to him and fired over the bar.
The hour mark saw things get worse for the home side after they failed to clear a corner, allowing Jones to find Kensdale in a crowded box for the centre-back to firmly strike into the net.
The young Blues still persisted going forward and came close to instant reply, but Coulter stretched himself to get a touch on Wilton’s cross taking the ball slightly off path as Crowe miscued his shot at the back post.
Lankester headed another opportunity wide as the chances kept coming for Ipswich and he shot over the bar with another good chance, with Bailey Clements curling an effort wide of the right post in the dying minutes of the match.
U18s: Egan, Ronan (D Crowe 55), Barley (Clements 55), El Mizouni, Ndaba, Vega, Cahill, Foudil, Wilton, Lankester, Hughes (Ogunmekan 64). Unused: Murrell, Ware.