COLCHESTER United sold star man Greg Halford to Reading for a club record fee of £2.5m just an hour or so before last night's 1-0 win at home to Preston to maintain their excellent run of results at Layer Road.

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United sold star man Greg Halford to Reading for a club record fee of £2.5m just an hour or so before last night's 1-0 win at home to Preston to maintain their excellent run of results at Layer Road.

Substitute Garry Richards popped up with the winner, just four minutes after replacing debutant Matthew Mills. The 20-year-old defender headed home Kevin Watson's 66th-minute corner to chalk up the U's 12th win from their last 13 home matches.

It proved that the U's can still be a force in the Championship, even without their star man Halford.

Manager Geraint Williams confirmed: “We wish Greg (Halford) all the best. I think that he'll do well in the Premiership.

“He's ready for the step up now. He's a great athlete who has matured a great deal over the last year.

“Greg should do well in his new home, but we produced another great performance to beat Preston. There were a lot of superb displays all over the pitch,” added the U's boss.

Halford had been linked with a string of Premiership clubs over the last couple of seasons, but it was Premiership new-boys Reading who finally took the plunge, breaking their own club record fee to lure Halford to the Madejski Stadium on a three-and-a-half-year deal.