It may be Christmas week, but that's no reason to stop playing football.

And around 50 youngsters, aged between seven and ten, took part in a two-day progress assessment as part of Colchester United's Advanced Coaching Programme, organised by the club's Football in the Community officers.

Appropriately for the time of year, the course involved a visit from the Orient -- members of Leyton Orient's own advanced school.

It was the U's boys who triumphed in a series of matches against their visitors.

The U's ACP Top Players awards went to: Under eight, Josh Grimes and Alexis Pryke; under nine, Peter Mann and Russell Malton; under ten, Nick Jones and Liam Norfolk.

"Our players were a real credit to Colchester United and no-one let themselves down," said U's community officer Steve Downey.

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