By BlueBlood
July 31 2005

Chelsea’s young reserve side went down to Colchester United’s first team by just one goal in a pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon.

Coach Mick McGiven took a lot of plusses out of the game but admitted the same old problems. “We had a lot of the ball,” he said, “but creating something with it was a problem.”

 

Chelsea went in at the interval a goal down when a shot covered by goalkeeper Yves Makabu-Ma Kalambay deflected off central defender Adrian Pettigrew and in.

 

“In the second-half we had a number of good possibilities which we couldn’t make count,” Mick stressed. As a result, his side went two down when a chip into the area was met by a free header.

 

But a couple of minutes later Chelsea pulled a goal back, Joe Keenan getting down the left and cutting the ball back for Jimmy Smith to score from eight yards.

 

That is how it finished. “They were men,” Mick pointed out of the League One side. “So it was a challenge. But it was a lovely pitch, we had quite a good crowd, and it was a terrific insight into the physical nature of the game for our youngsters. Colchester pressured us to death as we tried to work it through them.”

 

Colchester included triallist Courtney Pitt, ex-Chelsea youth and reserve team winger, in their side.

 

Team (4-2-2-2) Ma Kalambay; D Smith (Mancienne), Pettigrew, Watt, Elmer (Simmonds); Grant, Hollands (c); J Smith, Keenan; F Morais, Tillen.