Town are ahead at half-time thanks to a James Norwood spot-kick in their now-traditional pre-season friendly against Colchester at the JobServe Community Stadium.
Norwood converted the 17th minute penalty, awarded after Cameron James was rightly punished for an ill-timed sliding tackle on Danny Rowe that left referee Tim Robinson with an easy decision to make.
Recent recruit Luke Garbutt, signed on a season-long loan from Everton earlier this month, was named in the Town starting line-up against the U’s, the club with whom he also spent a temporary spell a few years back.
Garbutt was on the left of midfield with Tristan Nydam at left-back and Myles Kenlock alongside skipper Luke Chambers at centre-half.
Trialist James Wilson, the 30-year-old central defender — a free agent after departing Lincoln — was named on the bench.
Meanwhile, the U’s gave a start to experienced goalkeeper Dean Gerken, now 34 and back with them for a second spell having made his debut as a teenager and snapped up following his release by Town at the end of last season. He would have been delighted with his pre-match reception from the Town following as his name was announced.
The game’s first scoring opportunity fell to Colchester new boy Jevani Brown, a summer signing from Cambridge United, in the eighth minute and at the end occupied by most of the near-3,000 strong Blue Army. But he delayed his shot long enough to allow Town skipper Luke Chambers to go to ground and block the danger.
Chambers, who will miss the season’s opening League One fixture at Burton through a one-game suspension carried over from last term, was prominent again to dispossess Courtney Senior. Within seconds, however, his challenge on ex-colleague Frank Nouble was punished by referee Tim Robinson, although the freekick floated in by Senior was easily gathered by new 6ft 9ins goalkeeper Tomas Holy.
The goal clearly lifted the Blues and they began to stroke the ball around with confidence, midfielders Andre Dozzell and Idris El Mizouni enjoying plenty of possession but unable to carve out any clear-cut opportunities for front man Norwood.
Colchester threatened down the left in the 32nd minute as Brown and Nouble exchanged passes but Janoi Donacien produced a well-timed challenge on the latter at the expense of a corner that was easily cleared.
Holy, signed on a free transfer after his contract expired at Gillingham, was grateful when the home side spoilt another potential opportunity by sending yet another free-kick into the area that he was able to gather easily.
With 33 minutes on the clock the referee called Chambers towards him and seemed to ask that the Town captain have a word with team-mate Norwood, which he duly did before the game got under way again. Presumably, had it not been a pre-season friendly, the Town striker would have been in trouble for something he had apparently said.
Town squandered an excellent chance to increase their advantage six minutes before the break when Tunisian international El Mizouni raced through without being challenged. But, rather than slip the ball to the unmarked Rowe, he opted to let fly from just outside the area and saw his low drive miss the target with plenty to spare.
Colchester: Gerken, Vincent-Young, Sowunmi, Eastman, James, Stevenson, Lapslie, Gambin, Brown, Senior, Nouble. Subs: Ross, Fernandes, Collinge, Prosser, Kensdale, Chilvers, Comley, Pell, Cowan-Hall, Ager, Norris, Hasanally.
Town: Holy, Donacien, Chambers, Kenlock, Nydam, Downes, Dozzell, Garbutt, Rowe, Garbutt, Norwood. Subs: Wilson, Bialkowski, Jackson, Ndaba, Dobra, Woolfenden, Emmanuel, Roberts, Clements, Huws.