Huddersfield 2 -2 U’s – Report

DEAN HAMMOND scored twice as the U’s drew 2-2 last night against Huddersfield.

United drew level with a remarkable Hammond free-kick after falling behind in the second period to a Gary Roberts effort.

Injuries to U’s players Jimmy Walker, who hurt his groin, and Mark Yeates meant that Mark Cousins and Simon Hackney came into the side.

Paul Lambert also recalled Clive Platt, David Perkins and Hammond to the starting XI after knocks kept them out at the weekend.

It was Hammond who opened the scoring with the first of his salvo, with a clear-cut penatly after an obvious handball by Jim Goodwin.

Goal-getter Hammond also shot a free-kcik over the bar inside the first-half hour, with a 20-yard free-kick, while the home side went close Gary Roberts, Anthony Pilkington and Chris Lucketti all testing the U’s goal before the break.

Second half, and the Terriers clawed back into the game, after six minutes when Pilkington pounced on Lukas Jutkiewicz’s spilt shot to find the back of the net.

That advantage was doubled when former Ipswich man Roberts moved into space on the left and found the net from close-range.

Hammond’s hard work paid off, though, as he rescued a Colchester point with his set-piece effort, which fooled everyone, including England youth international, Alex Smithies.

The U’s skipper found the net deep into a lengthy stoppage time with a well-drilled shot; Colchester had yet another chance through second-half sub Steven Gillespie.

U’s: Cousins, Maybury, Reid (Coyne 55), Baldwin, Tierney, Perkins, Hammond, Izzet, Hackney (Gillespie 64), Gobern (Wordsworth 68), Platt.