A STIRRING finale saw Latics salvage a deserved point as Frankie Bunn’s side showed never-say-die spirit and character to manfully fight back from 3-1 down with five minutes to go. Peter Clarke’s header two minutes from time almost lifted the roof off Boundary Park after Athletic seemingly looked dead and buried.

Six goals, the game swinging this way and that . . . the only thing missing was the plastic pitch in a contest that harked back to some of the swashbuckling encounters Bunn himself played in under Joe Royle. And though the performance was far from perfect, few could doubt it was at the very least breathless entertainment.

Luke Norris put Colchester in front on the quarter-hour mark before Harry Pell doubled their advantage six minutes after half time.

Sam Surridge pulled one back for Athletic eight minutes later but the away side restored their two-goal advantage when Norris registered his second of the game on 68 minutes.

Surridge made it seven goals in six appearances when he pounced with five minutes left before Clarke’s heroics.

Both teams were unchanged following 3-0 victories last time out but Cameron Dummigan made his long-awaited return to the matchday squad as he was named on the bench. Giles Coke and Jonathan Benteke again missed out.

Athletic haven’t beaten Colchester at home now in nine attempts. And with former Tranmere centre-back John McGreal in charge – remember the days when Latics would continually come unstuck against the Prenton Park outfit – this one had something of a big bogey side cloud hanging all over it prior to kick-off on a grey day at Boundary Park.

After enjoying plenty of early possession without really threatening the U’s backline, Callum Lang found himself in space on the edge of the area only to have his threatening run halted by goalkeeper Dillon Barnes who cleaned him out in no-nonsense fashion after 10 minutes.

There were calls for a red card but referee Anthony Backhouse opted for yellow – probably just about the right decision with defenders covering.

Five minutes later, the Essex side were ahead.

When a needless corner was conceded by Lang attempting to play the ball back on the Latics left, the flag kick was swung in dangerously, flicked on and prodded home at the far post by Norris.

As much as Lang was culpable for conceding the corner in the first place, fingers were also pointed at right-back Rob Hunt for not picking up his man in the box.

Athletic needed to find a way back but with the distinct lack of any kind of final ball, it was always going to prove difficult – not for the lack of trying, however.

Chris O’Grady should have done better on 19 minutes when he linked up nicely with Surridge only for his effort to be smothered by the on-rushing Barnes in the U’s goal.

Next Surridge himself went close when his cross-shot from the right had to be tipped around the post by Barnes.

The on-loan Bournemouth striker was starting to look dangerous and when Clarke lofted a through ball into the box on the stroke of half-time, Lang nodded it into Surridge’s path. But, in acres of space, the striker shanked his shot wide. It was a real opportunity – undoubtedly Athletic’s best of the half.

Lang was given the hook at half time as Gevaro Nepomuceno entered the fray . . . but within five minutes, Colchester doubled their lead – and it came from another corner which wasn’t properly dealt with. Pell wasn’t complaining as he hit a powerful drive past the despairing dive of Daniel Iversen.

That was the cue for Jose Baxter who came on in place of the unusually quiet Christopher Missilou.

And within moments of Baxter’s introduction, Latics halved the deficit when Surridge gleefully swept home Andy Taylor’s low cross from the left.

Things were at last looking up with Bunn’s men now piling on the pressure. But disaster struck on 68 minutes when, in what was fast becoming a defensive horror show, Norris waltzed his way into the area past a static Latics rearguard to drill home. Another poor goal to concede.

At 3-1 down with time running out, heads might well have dropped.

Credit to the home side then for plugging away and showing true grit and determination to rescue a point.

When Surridge claimed his second of the game in planting Dan Gardner’s left-sided free-kick past Barnes to make it 3-2 on 85 minutes, Athletic could sniff an equaliser.

And so it proved three minutes later when Clarke rose highest to despatch Gardner’s corner and salvage a share of the spoils to keep themselves in the top six.

Clarke was the hero . . . but where would Latics be without Surridge?

LATICS (4-4-2): Iversen 6, Hunt 5, Edmundson 7, Clarke 7, Taylor 6; Branger-Engone 6, Missilou 6 (Baxter 59, 6), Gardner 7, Lang 6 (Nepomuceno 46, 6); O’Grady 7 (Miller 80, 6), Surridge 8. Subs (not used): De La Paz, Dummigan, Graham, Maouche. Booked: O’Grady.

COLCHESTER (4-4-2): Barnes, Jackson, Prosser, Kent, Vincent-Young; Pell, Nouble, Szmodics, Comley; Norris (Mandron 80), Dickenson (Eastman 86). Subs (not used): Senior, Wright, Gondoh, Ross, Collins. Booked: Barnes, Szmodics.

Referee: Anthony Backhouse.

Attendance: 4,017 (158 away)