Heybridge Swifts vs Colchester

Colchester took the lead inside five minutes. Jack Payne found the pocket between the Heybridge midfield and defence, slipping a pass through to Harry Anderson in the box, who slotted past the goalkeeper.

Anderson doubled the lead six minutes later. Payne, from deep, fired a pass into Anderson's feet on the edge of the box. Anderson turned, took a touch around a defender, and blasted the ball into the top-right corner.

Bradley Ihionvien made it 3-0 in the 23rd minute. Payne's close-range shot was saved, but Ihionvien was positioned to sweep home the rebound from six yards — his first goal back in a Colchester United shirt.

At 33 minutes, Danny and Nicky Cowley made wholesale changes. Alfie Newby, Sam Kuffour Jr, Max Jolliffe, Ronnie Harvey, Milton Oni, Trialist B, Makise Evans, and Kien Connolly replaced Frankie Terry, Sean Raggett, Paul Digby, Ellis Iandolo, Payne, Anderson, Kaion Lisbie, and Ihionvien. The much younger XI held the 3-0 lead into half-time.

In the second half, Rob Hunt, Trialist C, and Kurainashe Musanhi replaced Vincent-Young, Trialist A, and Jake Leake. The young side controlled possession but struggled to replicate the first half's final product.

With 15 minutes remaining, the young U's found their fourth. Jolliffe, always a threat with his passing, found Musanhi's run tight to the left touchline. Musanhi beat his man, drove into the box, and pulled a cross back for Kien Connolly to sweep home.

Heybridge grew into the game late on. An effort crashed against the post, and Kuffour was forced to clear a shot off the line with his head in the final minutes to preserve the clean sheet.

Anderson's brace inside the opening 11 minutes. The quickfire double gave Colchester a commanding lead before Heybridge had settled, allowing the Cowleys to rotate eight players at the 33-minute mark — giving valuable minutes to academy prospects while protecting the result.

Harry Anderson (Colchester) — Two clinical finishes inside 11 minutes: a composed side-foot finish from Payne's through-ball, then a powerful strike into the top corner. Player of the match.

Jack Payne (Colchester) — Orchestrated all three first-half goals with incisive passing from midfield, finding pockets between the lines.

Max Jolliffe (Colchester) — Danny Cowley singled him out post-match: "I thought Max Jolliffe was excellent." His pass to Musanhi set up Connolly's 76th-minute goal.

Kien Connolly (Colchester) — Scored with a composed sweep from Musanhi's cutback in his first senior appearance.

Player of the Match: Harry Anderson.

The 4-0 scoreline reflects a game of two distinct phases. The first 33 minutes saw Colchester's experienced XI create three goals from open play, all orchestrated by Payne and finished clinically. The second half, featuring a predominantly U21 lineup, was more fragmented — the young side controlled territory but managed only one goal, while Heybridge created two genuine chances (a shot against the post and a goal-line clearance). The clean sheet was shared across both units.

The 33-minute substitution of eight outfield players is typical of pre-season rotation but reflects the Cowleys' planned workload management: those who played 30 minutes here were scheduled to play 60 in the following day's fixture at Harlow Town.

This was Colchester's first victory of pre-season 2026/27 after a goalless draw with Norwich City (behind closed doors, 11 July) and a defeat to West Ham United. The U's face Harlow Town at the Harlow Arena on Saturday 18 July (3pm KO), where those who played 30 minutes here are expected to feature for 60.

Speaking after the win, Cowley said: "We played two teams; the first team played the first 30 minutes, and I thought they were excellent. They played with a good energy, intensity, moved the ball well, and scored three great goals."

On the second group, Cowley added: "I thought the second group — which was a lot younger — gave a really good effort and attitude. I thought we were a little erratic in our technical execution at times and consequently couldn't quite find the same rhythm as in the first 30 minutes."

Heybridge Swifts, of the Essex Senior League, continue their own pre-season preparations after hosting Colchester for the second consecutive summer.

The win builds momentum ahead of further friendlies: Peterborough United (21 July, home), Charlton Athletic (28 July, home), and Stevenage (1 August, away), before the League Two season begins.

A professional, efficient performance. Colchester's first-team XI showed sharpness in the final third, with Payne and Anderson's combination proving too much for their non-league hosts. The real value lay in the 33-minute rotation — eight academy players got competitive minutes in a winning environment, and Connolly's goal was a tangible reward. The clean sheet, preserved by a late goal-line clearance, was a bonus. Cowley's squad management, with minutes carefully allocated across consecutive days, suggests a squad building fitness and depth in equal measure.