A total of 26 goals were scored in this weekend's games which saw Chelmsford come from behind to beat Redbridge, Ipswich to maintain their 100% pre-season record with victory at Barnet and Southend came from behind, also to draw 3-3 with Leyton Orient in a behind-closed-doors friendly in Essex. Elsewhere, Colchester drew 0-0 with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur on Friday evening.
Crawford and Weston both had early chances for the hosts with Murphy and Hammond having shots for Town blocked.
Skipper Luke Chambers and Barnet striker Crawford were involved in an incident which saw the striker go down in the area and the referee award a penalty. Byrne stepped up to take the spot-kick but Loach denied the midfielder from 12 yards.
Barnet midfielder Sam Cowler then went close to grabbing an equaliser late on for the Bees in the second half, but he side-footed just wide after substitute Roberto had shown some neat footwork to tee him up.
That was the way it stayed as Blues extended the winning run in pre-season.
Trialist Dan Fitchett gave Blues the lead before two from Kevin Lisbie and one from David Mooney put the London club 3-1 ahead.
Blues fought back though with two more trialists getting on the scoresheet; Josh Rees making it 3-2 before Mark Carrington levelled inside the final five minutes.
Blues manager Phil Brown named a squad which included six trialists, five of whom started. Marvin Wijks, Conor Clifford and Carrington were in midfield with Don Cowan and Fitchett in attack. Rees was named on the bench.
Andy Bond broke the deadlock for Joe Dunne's men, hooking over his shoulder from close range after the goalkeeper was unable to clear. Marcus Bean doubled the advantage as his long range shot with the keeper unable to block it. Ladapo got to the byline and his low ball across the area was turned home into his own net by a Braintree defender.
The second half saw Braintree change a number of their players and their second half side put the U's under more pressure. The Iron got a goal back as a ball into the box by Kenny Davis was nodded home by Sean Marks, who continues to grabs goals on a regular basis for Braintree.
However, right at the death, the U's got a fourth to extend their advantage as Ryan Melaugh, only just introduced as substitute, made no mistake as he got into the box to slide home a finish for Joe Dunne's men.
Holdsworth will have been pleased with his team's response, initiated by a superb overhead kick goal by defender Danny Webb as he returned to his more attacking roots from earlier in his career to reply at 3-2 in the 64th minute. Midfielder Christian Smith added a third four minutes later, again with a header, and the fight-back was sealed when Holdsworth converted his 76th-minute clincher for the win.
Barnet 0-1 Ipswich
David McGoldrick headed the only goal of the game as Town beat Barnet at the Hive in the latest pre-season workout. The striker glanced a header past Graham Stack into the corner just before half-time, after Scott Loach had earlier saved a Mark Byrne penalty.Crawford and Weston both had early chances for the hosts with Murphy and Hammond having shots for Town blocked.
Skipper Luke Chambers and Barnet striker Crawford were involved in an incident which saw the striker go down in the area and the referee award a penalty. Byrne stepped up to take the spot-kick but Loach denied the midfielder from 12 yards.
Barnet midfielder Sam Cowler then went close to grabbing an equaliser late on for the Bees in the second half, but he side-footed just wide after substitute Roberto had shown some neat footwork to tee him up.
That was the way it stayed as Blues extended the winning run in pre-season.
Southend 3-3 L Orient (behind closed doors friendly)
Southend United drew 3-3 with Leyton Orient in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Boots & Laces this afternoon.Trialist Dan Fitchett gave Blues the lead before two from Kevin Lisbie and one from David Mooney put the London club 3-1 ahead.
Blues fought back though with two more trialists getting on the scoresheet; Josh Rees making it 3-2 before Mark Carrington levelled inside the final five minutes.
Blues manager Phil Brown named a squad which included six trialists, five of whom started. Marvin Wijks, Conor Clifford and Carrington were in midfield with Don Cowan and Fitchett in attack. Rees was named on the bench.
Braintree 1-4 Colchester
Colchester United continued their pre-season with a 4-1 win over Essex side Braintree Town.Andy Bond broke the deadlock for Joe Dunne's men, hooking over his shoulder from close range after the goalkeeper was unable to clear. Marcus Bean doubled the advantage as his long range shot with the keeper unable to block it. Ladapo got to the byline and his low ball across the area was turned home into his own net by a Braintree defender.
The second half saw Braintree change a number of their players and their second half side put the U's under more pressure. The Iron got a goal back as a ball into the box by Kenny Davis was nodded home by Sean Marks, who continues to grabs goals on a regular basis for Braintree.
However, right at the death, the U's got a fourth to extend their advantage as Ryan Melaugh, only just introduced as substitute, made no mistake as he got into the box to slide home a finish for Joe Dunne's men.
Redbridge 3-4 Chelmsford
Youngster Jordan Holdsworth, netted the Clarets' winning goal at Oakside as his team battled back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Redbridge 4-3, prompting praise from his father as the visitors recorded their first victory under his stewardship.
Chelmsford moved in front after 12 minutes when defender Mark Haines headed the ball into the net beyond the hosts' goalkeeper. However, a flowing Motormen counter-attack eventually built them a 3-1 lead after 58 minutes.Holdsworth will have been pleased with his team's response, initiated by a superb overhead kick goal by defender Danny Webb as he returned to his more attacking roots from earlier in his career to reply at 3-2 in the 64th minute. Midfielder Christian Smith added a third four minutes later, again with a header, and the fight-back was sealed when Holdsworth converted his 76th-minute clincher for the win.
AFC Sudbury 2-5 Kings Lynn Town
A special match report from the MEL Group Stadium is available here.