A NASTY head injury to Colchester United midfielder Andy Bond saw last night’s pre-season friendly against Ipswich Town abandoned after 78 minutes with the score goalless.

The home substitute suffered a sickening clash of heads with his own goalkeeper Mark Cousins and lay unconscious for a number of

minutes before being helped from the pitch bloodied and dazed.

Both players had been going for a ball just outside the box.

The kick-off of the game had already been delayed by 15 minutes – to 8pm – after the queues stacked up for those trying to buy a ticket on the night.

Town fans, who sold out their 1,500 allocation, had flocked to The Weston Homes Community Stadium after the double Premier

League capture of David Stockdale (Fulham, season loan) and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Arsenal, undisclosed) were confirmed just

hours before.

The duo – as well as previous summer signing Ivar Ingimarsson – fit again after a thigh injury – all made their first appearances for the club from the start.

With Preston manager Phil Brown watching on ahead of the U’s trip to Deepdale on the opening day of the League One season,

Colchester gave as good as they got in a frenetic start to the match.

With the two clubs being near neighbours this was never going to be a ‘friendly’, with home striker Kayode Odejayi sustaining a head wound after 24 minutes.

Such is the shortage of strikers at the Essex club that the U’s chose to spend more than 15 minutes giving treatment to the Nigerian rather than make a sub.

However, with Emmanuel-Thomas playing a free role behind Michael Chopra, Town could not take advantage as manager Paul Jewell watched from the stands.

New boy Stockdale then showed just what he’s been signed 10 minutes after the restart.

Anthony Wordsworth thought he’d scored when he met a corner perfectly with his head only to be foiled by a superb reactionary save.

Ipswich, looking lively but struggling to get any real momentum going, then saw an Aaron Cresswell angled free-kick flash across the face of goal.

The game then came to its sobering conclusion when Bond had to be stretchered from the field unconscious following a sickening clash of heads with keeper Cousins.

It was the sort of incident which puts football into perspective, despite an audible and unnecessary amount of discontent

COLCHESTER UTD (4-2-3-1): Cousins; White (Duguid 55), Okuonghae, Heath (Baldwin 55), Rose; Izzet (Bond 55), James; Henderson, O’Toole, Wordsworth; Odejayi (Vincent 46).

Unused Subs: Pentney; Coker, Bender, Eastman, Hamilton; Arnott.

IPSWICH TOWN (4-4-1-1): Stockdale; Edwards, Ingimarsson, Smith (Delaney 46), Cresswell (Kennedy 68); Drury (Carson 46), Bowyer, Leadbitter (Healy 73), Martin (Hyam 54); Emmanuel-Thomas (Priskin 68); Chopra (Scotland 62).

Unused Subs: Fulop; Ainsley.

Attendance: 6,268.