An injury to keeper Sam Walker over-shadowed tonight’s Capital One Cup first round tie against Reading, which ended with the visitors clinching a 1-0 win in extra-time.

After a summer struggle to overcome a knee injury, incurred during the back-end of last season, Walker was handed his first appearance of the campaign.

And all was going well for the first hour, as the impressive Walker dazzled with three wonderful saves to keep Reading at bay.

But disaster then struck, on the hour mark, when Walker changed direction to superbly keep out Stephen Quinn’s goal-bound shot, his third and final great save.

The ex-Chelsea trainee, the U’s regular No. 1 for the last two-and-a-half seasons, failed to get up from this save, clearly in considerable pain.

After a few minutes of treatment, inside the six-yard box, the luckless Walker was stretched off the pitch.

The talented 23-year-old therefore looks set for another long spell on the sidelines, which is a big blow to the U’s.

Neither side could fashion a goal in normal time, so extra-time was played to find a winner.

And it was Reading who won, thanks to a cracking solo goal from right-back Chris Gunter in the 115th minute, just five minutes away from a penalty shoot-out.

Squads

COLCHESTER UNITED: Walker (sub Parish, 60), Brindley, Wynter, Eastman, Briggs, Edwards, Gilbey, Moncur (sub Szmodics, 75), Massey (sub Wright, 68), Bonne, Sembie-Ferris. Unused subs: Kent, Vincent-Young, Ambrose, Holman.

READING: Al Habsi, Gunter, McShane, Ferdinand, Taylor, Williams, Norwood, Quinn, Robson-Kanu (sub Samuel, 82), Sa (sub Cox, 82), Blackman. Unused subs: Bond, Hector, Obita, Tshibola, Stacey.

Referee: Darren Drysdale (Cambs)

Attendance: 2,706 (595 away fans)