A 90th-minute Danny Collinge equaliser rescued a well-deserved point for the Bees at the Hive, giving Dean Brennan’s side seven points from a possible nine following two consecutive wins on the road.
The U’s had control of the game in the early stages and took the lead inside the first ten minutes, with defender Jack Tucker latching onto a free-kick to give the visitors an advantage.
The Bees grew into the game after the set-back, with the ball falling to Nnamdi Ofoborh on the edge of the area, but he couldn’t quite get the connection he wanted and sent the ball over the bar.
Cieran Slicker made an important save on the 15-minute mark to keep the score at 1-0. Jack Payne spotted the Bees’ shot-stopper off his line and took aim, but our number 29 did incredibly well to get back into a position to parry the shot out for a corner.
The hosts began to put more pressure on the visitors, with captain Anthony Hartigan’s corners proving a threat, but Dean Brennan’s side were still unable to find the back of the net.
Hartigan played a floating free-kick in as the pressure continued to come from Barnet. Matty Macey fumbled with the ball, but the danger eventually being cleared and there was no amber and black shirt there to try and create a chance in front of goal.
The Bees came very close with minutes to go in the first 45, when a Ryan Glover long throw fell to the feet of Ollie Kensdale, but he was unable to get the contact to poke the ball home and the hosts headed into the break a goal down.
Half-Time: Barnet FC 0-1 Colchester United
The Bees started the second-half as they ended the first-half, getting the ball into Colchester’s box on numerous occasions, but still lacking that final ball in front of goal.
Huge penalty shouts rang around the Hive with over an hour played, when Danny Collinge was brought down in the box, but the referee waved away the calls.
Hartigan whipped in another dangerous corner to test the blue and white defence, and this time Callum Stead met the delivery and headed it straight into the hands of Macey in the Colchester goal.
Our first substitution of the afternoon came on 68 minutes, with captain Hartigan making way for Lee Ndlovu.
Shelton was then in charge of corners and played one in. The ball landed at the feet of Idris Kanu outside the area, but his effort didn’t hit the target.
A double change was made for the Bees, with less than ten minutes of normal time to play. Kane Smith and Dennis Adeniran came on in place of Oli Hawkins and Nnamdi Ofoborh, before our last change saw Ryan Glover being replaced by Ryan Galvin.
The Bees’ constant pressure finally paid off in the 90th minute, when Danny Collinge was in the right place at the right time to finish off a brilliant team move, assisted by substitute Kane Smith.
The late heroics from our number four followed by six minutes of added time and despite Colchester creating one last chance in the final stages in an attempt to the win the tie, the score remained level at the referee’s full-time whistle.
The Bees have a quick turn-around, with a trip to League One side Luton Town on Tuesday night in the first group stage game of the Vertu Trophy.
Full-Time: Barnet FC 1-1 Colchester United
Line-up: Slicker, Collinge, Senior, Stead, Kanu, Hawkins (Smith, 81’), Glover (Galvin, 88’), Hartigan (Ndlovu, 68’), Shelton, Kensdale, Ofoborh (Adeniran, 81’)
Goals: Collinge (90’)
Attendance: 3,098 with 1245 visitors.