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This time at least we got a point, but having taken the lead with Andrew Cole getting his first Burnley goal, the result was another disappointment for the home fans in what was the second highest league attendance at the Turf this season.
The winter coats weren't needed as the temperatures rose way past the February average and the only problem for fans was keeping the sun out of the eyes in the Longside Upper. With hands as shields we saw a Burnley team that showed two changes from the one that started at West Brom a week ago.
In came Andrew Cole for his first start in claret & blue. He replaced Ade Akinbiyi who could count himself very unfortunate to be left out after his recent form. Chris McCann was ruled out with injury and his replacement was Kyle Lafferty who made an immediate return to the side after completing his four match ban.
We played towards the Jimmy McIlroy Stand in the first half, and that is always something that I'm not too keen on. We haven't won a home game playing that way in the first half for well over a year.
It was a scrappy sort of opening, but we looked comfortable and set out to get the ball to Wade Elliott on the right hand side right from the off. Joey Gudjonsson found him more than once with long passes across the field and it was from Wade we almost grabbed an early lead. He played in Cole but the loan striker couldn't quite get onto it although we won our first corner.
I recall Wade being left out once last season because he wasn't scoring enough goals. He's not scoring any now, and despite the confidence gained from his recent superb form it hasn't helped his shooting. He took the ball brilliantly, moved inside a defender and was left with a terrific opportunity but could only place the ball straight into the hands of U's keeper Dean Gerken.
We were comfortable, but there seemed almost a lack of urgency and composure. Defensively we'd had nothing to do and then suddenly we came very close to falling behind. Twice in the space of a couple of minutes Colchester should probably have scored. The first of them went wide but the second hit the foot of Brian Jensen's right hand post.
That seemed to press the right button for us and in our very next attack we went in front and it was that first Burnley goal for Cole. He'd done the hard work when the ball dropped for him after a poor mistake by a defender and there was no way he wasn't going to open his account.
A goal up, just what we needed and now I expected us to go on and win this one comfortably. Unfortunately it just didn't happen, and when Colchester finally equalised a quarter of an hour later it was no more than they deserved, although the goal had a bit of good fortune about it.
They won a free kick outside the box and I felt uneasy at the way we were sorting out the wall. Then came the reassurance from the seat to my right. "Thank goodness neither Teddy Sheringham nor Mark Yeates are playing," I heard. It didn't matter and Johnnie Jackson's free kick took a deflection, wrong footed Brian Jensen, and the visitors were level.
Almost immediately we won a free kick down the other end. Our taker was Robbie Blake and as they'd had some good fortune with their kick, we had some bad as the free kick came back off the post.
So level at half time and we couldn't complain, but we really needed to step things up in the second half. This game was without doubt there to be won.
It was a very quiet start to the second half and that led to our first substitution. I was somewhat puzzled as to how we were going to change things when captain Steven Caldwell came on for Joey Gudjonsson. As it turned out Caldwell went into the centre of defence, David Unsworth moved to left back, and Jon Harley joined James O'Connor in the midfield.
Colchester are an uncompromising side and they set out to make things as difficult as they could for us. They showed little in the way of adventure in the second half. They were almost Crewe like in their niggling little things such as time wasting and moving balls forward at free kicks, but I'm sure it went unnoticed by the Bratt on the pitch, he didn't appear to have much of a grip on proceedings.
It really was frustrating but we just couldn't break through them. The nearest we came was when Bratt looked as though he'd given us a free kick only for us to get the ball into the box and across for Lafferty, but he couldn't get his shot away and the advantage had gone.
Ade came on for Robbie who wasn't at all pleased with the change, taking it out on a couple of water bottles or some other objects in the technical area. I thought we livened up a bit from then on and Cole seemed to get much more involved.
The home fans got a first look of Arsenal youngster Mark Randall as we made our third change but it all looked in vain as the substitute fourth official held up two minutes of stoppage time and then we got the opportunity, the real chance to win the game.
Ade broke into the box and was clearly having his shirt tugged. Bratt had to see it, it was impossible for his assistant not to see it, but they did not want to know. Maybe Ade should have got his shot on target in any case rather than hit it wide, but it's not the easiest when you are having your shirt pulled off your back.
That was just about it, Randall got in a shot that was easily saved and the final whistle blew with two more home points lost. We couldn't complain, we really didn't deserve better on another disappointing Turf Moor afternoon.
Jon Harley was my pick again as man of the match, he's in really good form right now and continued to play well even after being moved into the midfield.
But another frustrating day, and another chance lost to get into the top six. The top five are pulling away a bit now, but that last place is without doubt up for grabs. Are we good enough to go and grab it? I think we are, but not on this showing.
We're off on our travels now, and by the time we next step out onto the Turf we will have played in two capital cities and also had the long trip down to Plymouth. If we can come home with our impressive away record still intact then who knows?
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Graham Alexander, Stanislav Varga, David Unsworth, Jon Harley, Wade Elliott, James O'Connor (Mark Randall 73), Joey Gudjonsson (Steven Caldwell 52), Kyle Lafferty, Andrew Cole, Robbie Blake (Ade Akinbiyi 61). Subs not used: Gabor Kiraly, John Spicer.
Colchester: Dean Gerken, Paul Ifil, Adam Virgo, Chris Coyne, John White, Karl Duguid, Johnnie Jackson, Kem Izzet, Kevin McLeod (Luke Guttridge 75), Clive Platt, Kevin Lisbie (Scott Vernon 25). Subs not used: Mark Cousins, Kevin Watson, Teddy Sheringham.
Referee: Steve Bratt (West Midlands).
Attendance: 15,376.