REPORT AND PHOTOS BY BRIAN WALLER AND KEVIN DRURY
How the fortunes in a game can change, and it was a piece of woodwork that was the unlikely hero for Colchester as they eventually overcome a stubborn Barnet side.

It was visitors who looked in control until fifteen minutes from time, when twice the frame of the goal came to Colchester's aid and played a big part in the final result as the U's recorded their first Puma Youth Alliance success of the season.

However all the credit must not go to keeper Jack Smelt`s left hand upright, but also to substitute Perry Sansford who deserves the plaudits, whilst Josh Oakley also got on the scoresheet.

A slightly delayed start saw the Bees not affected by their travel problems, and they were soon into their stride.

However it was Colchester with the first real attack, but this was halted as Sam Corcoran caught Joe Tabiri with a late challenge, seeing him needing some treatment.

Home pressure saw corners won, and as the play was switched to the other end of the field, there was a bout of head tennis that saw the head back to keeper Smelt left a touch short and he had to hastily boot away as Gary Wharton closed in.

After some neat football from the hosts the visitors had to resort to a hurried clearance to concede the corner, to relieve the pressure.

Corcoran swung it in from the left, but keeper Robbie Cook was catching well.

Just past the quarter of an hour mark, Ryan Amass seemed to be fouled in a challenge but, as play was allowed to continue, the visitors` left winger, Joshua Bonnett got the better of Nathan Speed, he fired in the effort, which the home keeper Smelt, stood up well to block.

When a ball came in from the left, several players challenged for it, as it dropped down for Chris Doyle he drove the effort over the bar.

A determined run down the right by Jamie Wright saw him win a free kick. Corcoran swung it over, a fine directed header down by centre back Ryan Amass was matched by an even better save by keeper Cook down low to his left.

Then it was Jeremiah Olusanya outstripping the right back, in a superb run, he rode a strong challenge, got to the byline laid the ball back into the path of Corcoran, who failed to keep his effort on target.

A Jimmy Pirie header flicked on found Fabian Quintyn, he stretched for the shot, but a defender got a good block on it, and just a corner resulted.

The visitors then stepped up a gear in the minutes before half time. In a determined run on the left by Gary Wharton, he held off Amass, but he was denied by a smart tip over by home keeper Smelt who then had to rush out to kick clear.



Then with the ball still in and around the U`s penalty box, it ran out to Doyle who drilled it back in, this was a low drive which Smelt was saving well, low down by his right hand post.

There was then more danger, as a cross in from the Barnet right somehow went right across the goalmouth without anybody getting a touch on it.

The visitors then did grab the lead six minutes before half time. A U's move broke down on half way, the ball ran on and as Wharton ran in, he finished with a fine shot, a clever clipped effort over keeper Smelt into the far corner of the net.

It was a busy time for the Barnet striker as he dragged an effort wide, as he was fed by team mate Doyle. This came after he robbed a home player after some sloppy defending.

The last effort of the half was to the U's.

A foul on Wright down the right was punished, with the referee waving aside the away team's protests.

Corcoran swung the ball over and U's defender Amass on the turn saw his attempt well blocked.

A difficult half ended with the home side trailing, and it could have got so much worse, minutes after half time. Wharton got in behind left back Ben Griffiths, but he was denied as Smelt stuck out a right leg, to divert the ball away.

It was all Barnet pressure, and a U's substitution came when Wright went in for a challenge, and he came off second best. He was replaced by Russell Malton.

The Bees defence featuring former U's trainee Jamie Petts, had been coping well to date as most of the attacking options had been at the other end of the pitch.

This was demonstrated once more when Corcoran was penalised for hand ball as he went in to block a clearance.

The free kick from half way was sent forward, the visitors won out in the tussle in the box, Tabiri set up Bonnott in space, but he fired the attempt over the bar. 

Then the match winning change of personnel for the U's came as super sub Perry Sansford entered the fray for Pirie after 65 minutes.

However at this point, it was still Barnet on the offensive. A free kick in a really dangerous spot, right on the edge of the box. was struck cleanly by Doyle and, with keeper Smelt rooted to the spot, it hit his top left hand angle of the bar and post.

Having survived that scare Quintyn looked to have broken clear but was hauled back by the offside flag.

Oliver Kingonzila then swung in the corner from the left, but James Hammond was clearing from the goalmouth as Barnet continued to press forward, with Colchester still working very hard to get a foothold back into the match.

Then the minutes that included all the gripping action happened.

A home throw in saw a ball come off a head, but Malton with the left foot was well wide of the far post.

If the bar hit from the free kick was a scare the next few seconds saw an equally big escape. The initial corner in from the left saw Josh Oakley heading behind for another. From the next, his header struck his own back post, but fortunately it came straight out to his keeper Jack Smelt.

As play switched to the other end through the efforts of Griffiths and Olusanya, Sansford was found just inside the box, and he calmly put his left footer away to amazingly tie the scores up at 1-1, with ten minutes to go, after all the Barnet near misses.

With full time on the clock, the U's were ahead. 

A quick throw in taken on the right by Malton found Speed, his cross in saw Olusanya fail to connect with the overhead kick, but it kindly ran onto the right for Sansford to put the chance away, into the far corner of the net.

It got even better as a ball in on the left saw Oakley pulling it down, and half volleying home back across goal a third.

In an amazing transformation of fortunes, it was the now confident home side finishing very strongly. Oakley was half volleying wide, and then from a left wing cross, Olusanya sent his header just off target as the final whistle went.

Other scores - Brentford 2-2 Wycombe, Leyton Orient 1-2 Rushden, Northampton 2-1 Peterborough, QPR 1-1 Luton Town, Southend 2-5 Brighton