Joint promotion favourites Wigan Athletic dominated a largely disappointing game at Layer Road against Colchester but went down to a single goal.
They ended the day pointless and with their second defeat of the week, and with only ten men on the field after Tony Dinning was sent off for a wild lunge on Colchester wing-back Joe Keith after 84 minutes.
Wigan, wearing their new style red kit for the first time, can at least point to losing to a quality goal to Colchester's latest teenage sensation Dean Morgan.
The 18-year-old Londoner will long remember his special 41st minute winner.
Evergreen Mick Stockwell burst down the right wing for Colchester and turned provider for a player half his age.
His clever pass infield to Morgan still left him with a lot to do. He collected the ball 22 yards from goal turned his marker, Wigan captain Jason De Vos and curled a left-foot shot into the far corner giving keeper John Filan no chance.
It was a finish deserving of a better game and a much better crown than the less than three thousand who had turned up,.
The home team had scored with their first effort on goal while the visitors, without really showing their predicted class, had wasted half a dozen chances in that first half.
The Wigan hotshot partnership of Andy Liddell and Nathan Ellington were firing blanck despite their side having the majority of the possession in the opening 45 minutes.
Both Liddell and Ellington shot tamely at the keeper from good positions.
And Lee McCulloch and Scott Green both put headers wide when they should have tested Colchester keeper McKinney.
In the second half Wigan also created more chances, even in the later stages after the frustrated Dinning was sent off six minutes from the end.
Ellington, always full of running, had the best of the chances. He ran on to one long ball from the back to outstrip centre-half Alan White and chipped McKinney so the ball drop over bar as well and he also forced a great diving save from the Colchester keeper when he made himself space 14 yards out for a fine left-foot shot.
One of the best chances had fallen to Dinning but he stubbed his shot straight to the keeper. And even after he had left the pitch there was still time for Liddell to snap a snatch-shot against the Colchester post.
Although the visitors produced most of the goal efforts Colchester could, and perhaps should, have added to their single goal. In virtually the first attack of the second half substiture Scott McGleish saw his close range effort saved by John Filan after trickery by Morgan out on the left wing had produced a dangerous cross the defense couldn't clear.
And after Morgan himself had been substituted his replacement Lloyd Opara hit the post from McGleish's cross from ony a few yards out when it was virtually an open goal.
Disappointed Wigan boss Paul Jewell said "we are second best in every department. I think some people were carried away with the start we made this season" and Steve Whitton, Colchester boss said there was a lot more to come from goalscorer Morgan "he is getting better and better even though his looks lathagic at times. Wigan are a strong physical side and they will be up there at the end of the season"