by BRIAN WALLER

UNDER-23

COVENTRY CITY 4

COLCHESTER UNITED 1

FOR their latest Development match, the U’s travelled to the Ricoh Arena.

Once again, the result did not go their way, despite taking the lead.

The first chance fell to the home team, after fine work by Tony Andreu.

He turned his marker but then shot wide from outside the area.

Five minutes later, Josh Eccles had a chance as the home team shifted the ball from left to right. However, again it went wide.

There was then a dramatic two minutes as both teams scored in a minute.

First, Noah Chilvers hit the post from 25 yards with Callum Jones on hand to put away the rebound.

However, Coventry immediately equalised after Amadou Bakayoko got onto an Andreu through ball and found the bottom corner of the net.

The U’s responded and home keeper Corey Addai saved from Kai Hamilton, who was racing towards goal.

Just after the half-hour mark, City took the lead when a ball into the box by Jodi Jones saw Bakayoko helping it on for Abu Ogogo.

He set up a chance for Jak Hickman, who fired his shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Six minutes before the break, Hamilton had a chance for the visitors but it was an easy save for Addai.

The home team finished the half strongly as a ball over the top by Hickman found Bakayoko but he was unable to find the target.

A ball in from the right by Hickman found Bakayoko.

He nodded the ball back across to Andreu, whose shot was saved. From the corner, Williams headed over the bar.

City began the second half well.

Hickman got down the right and drove his shot wide of the far post.

Then his ball into the box was met by the head of Bakayoko but keeper Ethan Ross got a hand to it, to make the save.

However, just before the hour-mark, City got a third as Andreu put his shot into the bottom corner of the net, from outside the box, after a one-two with Bakayoko.

A ball into the box by Jordon Thompson saw it cleared out to Jones, whose controlled it well but then his volley went wide.

However, the match then looked up for Colchester as Bakayoko netted his team’s fourth goal.

This came after Jones put the ball forward for Agogo, but the save by Ross merely put the ball into the path of the City player who netted his second of the afternoon.

A good ball by Andreu found Bakayoko, who, from a tight angle, fired over the bar.

For the U’s, Jones was denied by Addai.

Colchester United: Ethan Ross, Callum Anderson, Ollie Kensdale, Chris Forino, Al-Amin Kazeem, Zach Birse, Noah Chilvers, Sam Cornish, Callum Jones, Ken Charles and Kai Hamilton and used subs: David Agboola, Eoin McKeown and Louis Dunne and unused subs: Chandler Hallett and Ollie Sims.