Walsall missed the chance to climb out of the League One drop zone after slipping to defeat at Colchester.

A win would have lifted the Saddlers out of the bottom four for the first time in four months but they failed to seriously test United.

David Perkins fired United into a 17th minute lead before David Mooney doubled the hosts’ advantage with a controversial second-half penalty – after Aaron Lescott looked to have won the ball from Ian Henderson.

Julian Gray and Alex Nicholls went close in the first-half but the Saddlers relied on three goal-line stops from Andy Butler to keep Colchester at bay.

United started the strongest and goalkeeper Jimmy Walker denied Kemal Izzet on five minutes after Butler dispossessed Kayode Odejayi.

The Saddlers survived another let-off 60 seconds later when Oliver Lancashire diverted Ben Coker’s cross over Walker but onto the post.

Nicholls’ low drive was then tipped wide by goalkeeper Ben Williams in a lively start, which belied the lack of atmosphere at the sparsely populated Weston Homes Community Stadium.

After riding out a brief early storm, the Saddlers began to dictate and Gray tested Williams with a rising drive.

But, on 17 minutes, United took the lead when Jon Macken’s clearance from Izzet’s corner fell for Perkins to squeeze a shot inside Walker’s near post from 16-yards.

It was harsh on the Saddlers but they almost conceded a second minutes later, when Odejayi glanced a header off the bar.

The burly striker was causing Walsall problems and it needed a goal-saving tackle from Darryl Westlake to stop him doubling United’s lead on the half hour.

Walsall had lost their early momentum with Macken and Nicholls nullified by Nathan Clarke and Matt Heath.

Henderson was then denied by Walker, before Lescott’s sliced clearance dribbled wide four minutes before the break.

Matt Richards curled a free-kick just over immediately after the break before United turned the screw.

First, Odejayi broke clean through, rounded Walker and was only denied by a superb last-ditch clearance from Butler – before United controversially doubled their lead on 55 minutes.

Lescott challenged Henderson, who went down softly, just inside the area and the referee’s assistant on the near side awarded the penalty.

It was to the Saddlers’ fury as the left-back looked to have won the ball and Richards was booked for dissent, before Mooney kept his cool to send Walker the wrong way.

It killed off the Saddlers and Walker had to save Izzet’s low effort after a quick Colchester break, before Butler cleared the midfielder’s strike off the line minutes later.

The captain was at it again with 15 minutes remaining, blocking Mooney’s goalbound effort as the game ended with a whimper.