Golden Harriott leads U’s fightback
TONY Humes believes his in-form Colchester United are maturing as a team after they registered a third successive league win.
The U’s victory at the County Ground meant they moved up to tenth and inflicted a third successive defeat on hosts Swindon Town.
Swindon-born George Moncur gave Colchester an early lead and although Wes Thomas levelled midway through the half, Callum Harriott scored what proved to be the winning goal just before the break.
Humes said:“It was a good three points again.
“We took the lead at half-time and we’ve had to battle to see the game out, similarly to last week.
“It shows that we’re managing things better and that we’re maturing.
“Some of the football we played in the first half was terrific.
“Had we taken all of our chances, I think we could have been out of sight in the first half.
“I thought that to a man, they were defensively superb.”
Moncur side-footed home from Matt Briggs’ pass to give Colchester a third-minute lead.
Thomas blasted over from Nicky Ajose’s pass, but after Swindon keeper Tyrell Belford denied Moncur a second, the Robins equalised in the 22nd minute through Thomas, who finished well after Jordan Turnbull had flicked on Fabien Robert’s corner.
Colchester keeper Jamie Jones brilliantly pushed away Henrik Ojamaa’s close-range effort on the half hour before Harriott restored the U’s lead three minutes before half-time, slotting emphatically past Belford after Marvin Sordell had cleverly helped on Owen Garvan’s pass.
Jones denied Turnbull after the break and at the other end, Belford tipped Gavin Massey’s shot onto the bar.
Ajose struck a post from substitute Jeremy Balmy’s cross and Tosin Olufemi nodded Raphael Branco’s header off the line late on, as Colchester held on for another impressive win.
Swindon boss Mark Cooper said: “It was an endto-end game, an open game. “We put ourselves in trouble with a really early goal and it was something that we warned about, George Moncur getting in the box.
“The player who was picking him up didn’t mark him tight enough.
“Then we get back into the game, have a good spell with a couple of good chances but just before half-time we don’t defend well enough again, somebody doesn’t stay with their runner.
“I said to the players that when we get into the box we get marked, people stay with us and we’re not doing that at the minute.”