Gillingham 0 Colchester 0

NEITHER side have been able to find a breakthrough in the first half at Priestfield this afternoon.

Gillingham thought they had taken the lead after just five minutes.

Danny Jackman whipped a corner in from the right which was knocked in by Darren Byfield, but the home side's joy was short-lived as the referee spotted a handball by the striker.

Gills came close again on 15 minutes when Danny Spiller volleyed over when he could have done better.

Byfield almost had the ball in the net again midway through the half, but his fierce right-footed drive after a fine run was well parried by Colchester goalkeeper Aidan Davison.

Later Richard Rose had a shot blocked by defender Pat Baldwin.

The closest the visitors came to breaking the deadlock was a Neil Danns header nine minutes before half-time, which went wide of Jason Brown's left-hand post.

Gillingham had a scare late on in the half when Byfield, their most impressive performer, went down after a clash of heads in the Colchester penalty area.

However, he was able to continue after treatment.

There was a flurry of activity on the stroke of half-time as first Brown did well to save another Dans header, while at the other end Mike Flynn headed another pin-point Jackman corner over the bar.

Gillingham: Brown, Rose, Cox, Hope, Jackman, Crofts, Hessenthaler, Flynn, Pouton, Spiller, Byfield. Subs: Knowles, Johnson, Corneille, Jarvis, Shields.