Colchester United's hopes of upsetting the odds against league leaders Millwall were dashed by a 6-1 Boxing Day drubbing.

Even the Essex side's lone score was an own goal courtesy of Millwall, and Colchester could only watch as the class act of Division Two ruthlessly turned a comfortable 2-0 half-time scoreline into the rout it eventually became.

In Division Three Southend United fared little better, losing out 1-0 at home in a derby match against Leyton Orient.

Just under 10,000 supporters watched Boxing Day end on the worst possible note for the Shrimpers when Griffiths fired home a 90th-minute winner for the visitors.

But amid the gloom Ipswich Town continue to impress, with the self-styled tractor boys coming back from 2-0 down for a share of the points with Chelsea at Portman Road.

The Suffolk crowd must have feared the worst when Ranieri's side went 2-0 up early on but a goal each from Scowcroft and Stewart repaired the damage.

For full match reports and pictures see today's Evening Gazette and Evening Echo

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.