Brentford Under-18s were held to a 3-3 draw by Colchester United Under-18s at Wheatsheaf Park on Saturday afternoon.

In a game where the lead chopped and changed, the west Londoners came from behind to earn a point in their first Professional Development League fixture since late September.

The Bees started in rapid fashion when Naeem Giscombe added another assist to his excellent start to the season. On four minutes, the winger played a perfectly weighted low cross into Jovan Kasujja who finished superbly off the crossbar from close range.

Colchester had a good chance to level on ten minutes when Owen Moore headed over from close range after good work on the right flank from Dwayne Campina Do Vale.

Five minutes later and Gary McDermott's side should have doubled their lead. Josh Zetter-Plummer set Domeiro Bobb-Semple free on the left who beat his man with a stepover and drilled a low cross into the six-yard box which Giscombe could only turn onto the post via a deflection.

Dylan Danso had a solid game at centre-half stepping up from the Under-16s to make his debut for the Under-18s.

Bobb-Semple had another good chance half way through the first 45, leaving the Colchester right-back on the floor after clever footwork, but saw his strike saved well by Oscar Roberts.

Brentford piled on the pressure to find a second, this time Bobb-Semple's curling effort was palmed away by Roberts into the path of Giscombe but the angle was too tight and he could only hit the side netting.

Then on 40 minutes, totally against the run of play, Colchester had an equaliser when Lennox Emery swept home from the edge of the box.

The game was level for a matter of seconds though; from the restart the young Bees went down the other end and Giscombe's second assist of the day set up Bobb-Semple who converted at the back post to make it 2-1 at the break.

Despite McDermott's side being on top for the majority of the first-half, Colchester found a way back into the game three minutes after the interval when Zetter-Plummer brought down Moore in the box who converted his penalty.

Captain Yerime Ouattara had a chance for the young Bees on 55 minutes, curling an effort just wide of the far post from the corner of the box.

On 62 minutes the game was turned on its head when the referee took a long time to point to the spot after Danso was adjudged to have pulled back substitute James Sasere in the box.

Moore stood up, and although Layton Nicholls got a touch on the ball, scored his second penalty of the day to make it 3-2 to the U's.

On 71 minutes, the referee blew for the third penalty of the game despite the Bees having the ball in the back of the net as Isaiah Powis was pulled down in the box.

Substitue Enrique Roca drilled his spot-kick low into the bottom-left corner to score his first goal since coming back from a long-term injury to tie the game once more at 3-3.

Kasujja then curled an effort off the top of the crossbar on 73 minutes as the west Londoners looked to turn the scoreline back in their favour.

Nate Ogungbemi forced a save from Roberts in stoppage time but the young Bees couldn't find a winner and had to settle for a point at home.

Brentford: Nicholls, Zetter-Plummer (Fanoiki 89), Ogungbemi, Danso (Bowen 89), Powis, Redknapp (Cohalan 82), Giscombe, Ouattara, Kasujja, Bansoodeb (Roca 59), Bobb-Semple

Booked: Zetter-Plummer 65, Cohalan 85

Colchester: Roberts, Nkrumah (Shaw 46), Thomas, Abidekun (Henry 67), Lewis, Mombo, Campina Do Vale, Banjoko, Makatta (Sasere 53), Moore, Emery (Dagher 78)

Unused subs: Allan

Booked: Banjoko 71, Moore 75