Villa manager Martin O’Neill felt his team owed the travelling claret and blue army the determined second-half fightback served up at Colchester.

O’Neill’s side maintained their unbeaten start to pre-season, after Steve Sidwell and Adam McGurk efforts saw them come from two goals behind to draw with the League One outfit at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Several hundred dedicated Villa supporters made the 300-mile round trip to Essex for the friendly.

O’Neill was glad to give them something to cheer ahead of the long journey home to the Midlands.

The Villa manager said: “Despite the fact it was a friendly game – and you wouldn’t want to read too much into it – you still don’t want to get beaten, certainly for the fans.

“Some made the journey not only to Peterborough on Saturday but here again. They amaze me.

“It was different to Saturday’s game. Once we got in front at Peterborough (in the 3-0 win) we looked in control.

“Here we had to fight back and it was a perfect workout for us. I felt the senior players got a lot of benefit from it.

“Again some of the young boys did very well indeed. It was a tough test for us and, in terms of fitness, it’s helped us prepare for the Peace Cup initially and obviously for Wigan.”

Particularly pleasing was an industrious display from Sidwell – who did his chances of replacing Gareth Barry no harm – capping a fine performance with his second pre-season goal in as many games.

O’Neill opted for a 4-5-1 formation, with Isaiah Osbourne brought in for Andreas Weimann in the only change to the side which beat Posh.

But, with Marlon Harewood up front alone, Villa’s attacking play at times lacked a cutting edge and O’Neill will welcome the return of John Carew, Ashley Young and Emile Heskey for Saturday’s Peace Cup opener against Malaga.

After a quiet opening it was the Us who took a 25th-minute lead, when Scott Vernon rose above the Villa defence to head Dean Hammond’s free-kick beyond Brad Friedel.

Things went from bad to worse for Villa in the 56th minute, when David Fox’s cross to the far post was headed back across goal by Clive Platt for Ashley Vincent to drill home.

But the deficit was halved soon afterwards though and it came via a familiar face.

Barry Bannan’s 64th-minute set-piece was flicked on into the path of Sidwell and the former Chelsea midfielder drove a low shot past substitute keeper Ben Williams.

It took just another eight minutes for the Premier League side to pull level.

It was a moment to forget for Williams, as he parried sub Weimann’s shot against his own player.

The ball appeared destined for goal anyway but fellow sub McGurk made sure, lashing the ball in from just a yard out.