Ipswich Town Under-21s drew 0-0 at League Two strugglers Colchester United in their dead rubber final Group D game in the EFL Trophy.
Both teams went into this game knowing they couldn't reach the knockout stages of the competition following earlier results against League One duo Luton Town and Peterborough United.
Fringe first team duo Jack Taylor and Kasey McAteer both played 76 minutes for the Blues in a low key affair that contained few clear cut chances.
Colchester went on to win the subsequent shootout to claim the bonus point. It means Ipswich finished bottom of the group.
Colchester United (4-2-3-1): Lo-Tutala; Hunt (Jolliffe 38), Tucker (Vincent-Young 63), Kuffour Jr, Musanhi; Perry (Oni 63), Digby; Thorn, Connolly, Lisbie (Akande 46); Ihionvien (Williams 64).
Ipswich Town U21s (4-2-3-1): Barrett; Doherty, Mazionis, Shabazz-Edwards, Lewis; Turner (Pitts 70), Taylor (Compton 76); McAteer (Nicolaou 76), Runham, Fletcher; Taylor.
Attendance: 975 (184 away).
DEAD RUBBER VIBES
Ipswich lost their opening two Group D games to League One opposition - 7-0 at Jack Wilshere's Luton Town and 4-1 at Robbie Savage's Peterborough United.
Colchester, meanwhile, lost at Peterborough (3-1) and drew at home to Luton (1-1). The U's failing to win the penalty shootout at Kenilworth Road, and thus claim a bonus point, meant they too went into this final fixture unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Nothing to play for. A cold night at a notoriously cold ground. An understandably small and quiet crowd. The action very much matched the occasion.
Town kept the ball well at times, but their first effort on goal didn't arrive until late in the first half when Steven Turner fired wide.
Colchester didn't threaten much more. Josh Lewis made a couple of well-timed tackles in the left-back spot and towering centre-back Jakubas Mazionis won headers when called upon.
Several injury stoppages, including the linesman pulling up, didn't help. After repeated calls for a qualified official in the crowd to make themselves known, Ipswich's former U18s physio, Amy Purser, took over fourth official duties.
The second half was equally low key. Colchester should have taken the lead not long after the hour when substitute Adrian Akande burst to byline and cutback only for Kein Connolly to lift his shot well over from a golden position.
FIRST TEAM DUO
Town's U21s have a strong and fantastically varied games programme this season and they've used it to help get and keep fringe first teamers fit and sharp.
Azor Matusiwa and Jack Taylor made their injury comebacks in EFL Trophy games at Luton and Peterborough respectively, while Cedric Kipre and Marcelino Nunez started in an International Cup home fixture versus Anderlecht.
Taylor started again in this one and he was joined by fellow Republic of Ireland international Kasey McAteer.
Taylor, who finds himself behind the likes of Exequiel Palacios, Sasa Lukic, Florentino Luis and Matusiwa in the midfield pecking order, was very neat and tidy. He played several lovely raking forward passes.
There was a heart in mouth moment towards the end of the first half, however, when he collided with team mate Walker Shabazz-Edwards going for the same ball. Both required treatment and, to me, it looked like he was running with a bit of a dead leg after the break.
McAteer finished Town's Championship promotion campaign strongly and featured off the bench against Sunderland, Manchester United and Liverpool in early Premier League fixtures. With Abdul Fatawu and Daizen Maeda ahead of him for the right-wing slot, however, he's been among the players not making matchday squads of late.
The £11.5m signing struggled to impact this game on the right. His most notable contribution in the first half was a fine back-tracking run and tackle on striker Bradley Ihionvien in the early stages. In the second half, he dragged a good chance wide from the edge of the box with his weaker left foot.
WHO STOOD OUT
I liked Town's two centre-backs in this game.
I lost count of the amount of times Mazionis, a towering Lithuanian, headed the ball away. His defensive partner Walker Shabazz-Edwards read danger, used his physicality well and was composed on the ball.
Full-backs Lewis and Ryan Doherty have bite about them. In truth, none of the attackers really put their hands up.
WHAT NEXT
John McGreal's Young Blues host Portuguese giants Porto in an International Cup game, at Portman Road, a week on Friday.
Colchester, who have sunk to 23rd in the League Two table following a 10-game winless run in the league, host Gillingham on Saturday.
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