Town’s U18s beat their Colchester United counterparts 4-1 at Maldon’s Park Drive this morning. Jamie Mauge netted twice and Afi Adebayo and Revin Domi once each for Olly Lee’s side.
It was the third meeting of the season for the two local rivals with Town having won the previous two, 6-4 in the league and 2-1 in the Prem League Cup, both at the Town training ground.
The game at Park Drive in Maldon got off to a lively start with both teams scoring early on but despite Colchester creating several good chances they were made to pay for missing them as Town took theirs.
It was the visitors who scored the first goal as Colchester survived a whole series of shots that were blocked and one a superb save by Harrison Chamberlain before the rebound was finally put away by Mauge in the fifth minute.
Chuks Uzor-Greey was then played through but was flagged offside before Colchester then equalised as a ball from the midfield sent Jamie Arnold clear and he cleverly chipped the ball over the keeper's head to make it 1-1 on seven.
Arnold then set up Alex Kokoshi but his shot was deflected wide before Kai Martin was fouled on the right edge of the box by Alex Graham.
The U's then won a corner on the left which was taken short by Burak Sabah to Martin who shot wide of the near post from the left.
A ball from the left to the right found Uzor-Greey but keeper Chamberlain saved well but conceded a corner.
An early change for the U's saw Makaya James go off and be replaced by Samson Uwandu. James had been out of action for over three months after suffering an injury versus Sutton United in the FA Youth Cup.
After an initial shot was blocked the ball ran to Revin Domi whose attempt was then deflected for a corner.
Again Chamberlain came to the rescue, saving well from Mauge with his legs.
After a home player, a trialist, was booked, a foul by Rashaad Douglas led to a free-kick, which was scrambled clear.
Ipswich then took the lead again three minutes before half-time as keeper Alan Fleisher’s kick found Adebayo breaking clear from the midfield and he scored with a crisp low left foot shot.
Before the interval, a foul on Uwandu saw Kokoshi’s free-kick come off a visiting player's head and go for a corner.
Four minutes after half-time, Uzor-Greey slipped the ball from the left to the centre to Revin Domi, whose shot was well saved but he was not to be denied as, after Chamberlain saved really well again from Uzor Greey, Domi put away the rebound.
Andrew Palmer-Brown bringing the ball forward found Uwandu whose attempt was blocked in the box, before Martin found Uwandu in space on the right but he blazed his shot well over the bar.
Uwandu then burst into the box and went down under a challenge but no penalty was given before he was booked as he collided heavily with Graham.
After a foul on Arnold, a Town player was booked before the free-kick by Kokoshi was easily cleared.
Uzor-Greey went wide of Donte Frank but he was denied by another good save by Chamberlain.
Mauge set up Uzor-Greey, who shot just wide of the keeper's left-hand post.
From an Alamin Kosoko pass to Arnold, his cross eluded a player in the centre but Douglas arriving from the left saw his shot deflected for a corner and in a very good home spell the trialist’s shot was held by the keeper who stretched up to grab. Then an effort by Kokoshi was just wide of the far post.
Longwe was on as a sub for the Blues for the limping Graham on 65 minutes.
fter a great run by Sabah, he rounded the keeper but the efforts of a defender and the keeper blocked his shot.
Harvey then set up Douglas, who blazed well over the bar. Poor distribution by Town keeper Alex Fleischer saw Kokosi with the ball but he shot narrowly wide of the far post.
Harvey wrestled Leon Ayinde to the floor and was booked. Kokoshi played in Sabah but the keeper saved with his legs.
A double U's change on 85 minutes saw James Sasere and Owen Moore replace Douglas and Arnold, but it was Town who struck again in the second minute of injury time Mauge was found in space on the right and he got in to shoot past Chamberlain to completed Town’s 4-1 win.