STRIKER Sam Higgins made his first appearance in a Chelmsford City shirt in a slender defeat to a strong Colchester United team at Melbourne.

Higgins, a young prospect who bagged over 30 strikes for East Thurrock United last season, has been recuperating from an operation over the summer and he played roughly an hour on his return as the Clarets performed admirably against a U’s side which mostly consisted of players with first team experience.

City coach Glenn Pennyfather welcomed Higgins to the fold and reinforced that, with time, he could be the provider of many goals.

“I think there were a lot of plus points that came out of the match,” he explained.

“Ricky Modeste continues his good vein of form but I think the biggest plus was to see Sam on the pitch.

"He’s done a lot of rehab work with Chris Duffy, our physio, and he showed what a good footballer he is.

"I think, given time and patience and some good guidance, he’s going to prove to be a super acquisition and hopefully get the goals we’re after.”

Colchester moved ahead on 53 minutes as Ashley Vincent’s cross brought a header out of Odejayi which triggered a frantic scramble.

The assistant referee on the Athletics Centre side indicated the ball had already crossed the line and a goal was awarded to the front man.

“I felt that overall for the 90 minutes it was the best we’ve played,” Glenn added.

“We worked extremely hard and we were sharp around the pitch. It was a strong Colchester side and it was a good test for us.

"Now we want to start putting clean sheets together and keep moving the ball well as I think people are seeing in pre-season that we’re trying to pass it and we’re back with the ball on the floor, working from back to front.”