Colchester United 0 Morecambe 0

Colchester United extended their recent good run to just one defeat in their last nine league games, but this was a bore draw at the Weston Homes Community Stadium this afternoon.

Lowly Morecambe will be more than happy to take a point back up to the north-west coast.

It was a point they deserved – the U’s certainly did not do enough to merit all three points in a game of very few clear-cut chances.

It was very poor fare, from start to finish, with too many stray passes and over-hit crosses.

The one highlight was a late shot by substitute Drey Wright, which thudded back off the bar on 87 minutes.

The U’s made two changes to the side that won 1-0 at Barnet last weekend, goalscorer Sammie Szmodics and skipper Tom Lapslie coming in for Drey Wright And Doug Loft respectively. The latter duo were on the bench.

The deadlock was so nearly broken in the sixth minute. Mikael Mandron met Brandon Comley’s corner with a downward header which keeper Barry Roche managed to beat away at point blank range.

Morecambe were on the back foot for large parts, although right-back Aaron McGowan did venture forward before pulling a 25-yarder wide of target in the 10th minute.

Two of the Shrimps’ most experienced players combined three mintes later, Kevin Ellison heading wide at the near post from Garry Thompson’s teasing cross.

At the other end, Brandon Hanlon had a shot on the turn deflected wide for a corner, while from another corner, a header by Mandron was blocked before the follow-up shot by Ryan Inniss was caught on his line by Roche.

Morecambe were the closest to scoring inside the first half-hour, when centre-half Steven Old’s header dropped inches wide of the near post, after Alex Kenyon had nodded on a corner into the danger zone.

A dreadful back pass by Frankie Kent almost gifted Morecambe an opening goal in the 42nd minute. Kevin Wildig intercepted Kent’s weak pass, with Sam Walker off his line, but the Shrimps midfielder could not get into a position to shoot towards an unguarded net, and so the chance went begging.

Into the second period and Inniss headed narrowly wide from Ryan Jackson’s good cross on 52 minutes.

But otherwise, passes continued to go astray, and most crosses were over-hit, with the U’s unable to exert any concerted pressure on their visitors.

On as a 79th minute substitute, Kyel Reid almost made an immediate impact, crossing low into the box, although Sammie Szmodics slipped at the vital moment when preparing to shoot.

Fellow substitute Wright almost snatched victory when his dipping 25-yarder beat keeper Roche, only to cannon back off the bar with three minutes remaining.

Squads

COLCHESTER UNITED: Walker, Eastman (sub Wright, 79), Inniss, Kent, Jackson, Lapslie, Comley (sub Slater, 64), Vincent-Young, Szmodics, Hanlan (sub Reid, 79), Mandron. Unused subs: Gilmartin, Kinsella, Loft, Odelusi.

MORECAMBE: Roche, McGowan, Old, Lavelle, Brough, Kenyon, Fleming, Wildig (sub Oliver, 79), Thompson, McGurk (sub Campbell, 69), Ellison. Unused subs: Nizic, Lund, Muller, Rose, Lang.

Referee: L Collins

Attendance: 2,872 (64 away fans)