Wayne Brown wants his Colchester United under-23 players to establish a winning mentality after they played out a 1-1 draw at Birmingham City last night.

The U’s led their Professional Development League Two clash at St Andrew’s through Eli Phipps’ penalty late in the first half but were forced to settle for a draw, following Wes McDonald’s equaliser early in the second half.

Colchester’s under-23 side are enjoying an impressive season and are unbeaten in three matches.

But while he was pleased with the performance, boss Brown says he wants his youngsters to be more ruthless in games.

Brown said: “Being critical, I wanted more and I felt we should have won the game.

"It’s fine margins in football.

“The three points are the be all and end all in football, when you go into the next step and that’s what we have to try and prepare the players for.

“It’s important that within the under-23 squad, we breed that winning mentality that the first team have at the moment.

“We conceded a disappointing goal and we had opportunities to win the game.

“Kane Vincent-Young got two or three great balls in that went across the six-yard box that we didn’t get on the end of.

“But I felt we dominated possession and I was more pleased with the way we played than anything else.

“The fixtures recently against the likes of Derby County, Manchester City and Sunderland haven’t allowed us to have very much possession and play the good football we like, so at Birmingham we wanted to get back to playing and having the ball and that was pleasing.”

Like the club’s first team, Colchester’s under-23s adopted a 3-5-2 formation at Birmingham.

Diaz Wright played in the middle of a three-man defence, alongside first-year scholar Ollie Kensdale and Dexter Peter, with Lewis Kinsella at left wing-back and Kane Vincent-Young as right wing-back.

“We’ve mainly been playing 4-3-3 this season but we’re trying to mirror the first team,” said Brown.

“It gives the lads a different set of learning roles and responsibilities and it also means that if they do get the opportunity to play in the first team it makes the transition easier.”

U's first-teamers Kinsella and Tommy O’Sullivan, who impressed in the number ten role, both completed 45 minutes, while Vincent-Young played the whole game.

Brown said: “It’s great for the lads to get minutes.

“Some of them have been frustrated of late because they haven’t had the opportunities they would have liked at first team level.”

Colchester handed Millwall academy player Ezechukwu Ebuzoeme a chance to impress against Birmingham but Brown confirmed they have now ended their interest in the youngster.

He added: “He’s a promising lad and a second year scholar and we were lucky enough to be the first club to take a look at him.

“But we decided that with the lads we have in our own ranks, it’s not something we’ll pursue.”