Colchester United and Oldham Athletic are scoreless in their League One clash at Colchester Community Stadium at half time.
Oldham thought they had a shout for a penalty within seven minutes of kickoff when Lee Croft went down in the area, but referee Keith Hill gave just a goal kick to Colchester.
The home side had the first shot of the game when a ball forward down the right found Gavin Massey, but the former Watford man could only drag his shot wide of the post from a tight angle.
Colchester's Elliot Parish was the first goalkeeper to be tested when Jonathan Forte's shot required a strong hand to tip it away at the near post.
There was a controversial moment after 35 minutes when Mike Jones appeared to catch Sammie Szmodics with his arm when jumping for a high ball, but the referee resisted the home fans' calls for him to reach for a card.
The home side looked the more likely to break through in a quiet game, and Liam Kelly tested Parish with a curling effort from outside the box, but the score remained goalless at the whistle.
Tom Nightingale
