Premier BColchester 4 Redbridge & Ilford 3Colchester held on to claim their first home victory of the season in a thrilling encounter with Redbridge & Ilford on Saturday.

Premier B

Colchester 4 Redbridge & Ilford 3

Colchester held on to claim their first home victory of the season in a thrilling encounter with Redbridge & Ilford on Saturday.

The match started at lightning pace with both sides looking for early goals; the hosts created the better opportunities but were denied the lead by the visiting keeper.

After 20 minutes the opening goal of the game arrived when a good move down the Colchester right resulted in Duncan Scott squaring the ball to Craig Warriner, who beat his man, and fired a trademark reverse stick shot into the bottom corner of the goal.

The hosts were buoyed and were now attacking at will. Warriner produced some great skill to set up Rohan Khaira, but his goal bound effort struck the body of Scott on the line to prevent the goal. Scott soon made amends when he pounced on Matt Brown's reverse stick shot to force home from close range to double the advantage.

Colchester nearly made it three before the break when an unmarked Brown lobbed the keeper only to see his effort evade the target.

The home team didn't have to wait long before making it 3-0, when two minutes into the second half Michael Pearce fired in a left wing corner which was met by the diving Khaira, who deflected the ball past the stranded keeper'.

The visitors then went for broke in search of a way back into the game and were soon on the score sheet when they scrambled home from a short-corner.

Panic set in as Colchester began to lose their shape and they were unable to keep the ball for any period of time. Redbridge sensed they were back in the game and their influential captain fired in two goals to level the score at 3-3 with 15 minutes remaining.

The same player was soon sin-binned and Colchester knew this would be their chance to take control of the game and poured forward in search of a winner. Brown's short corner flick was stopped by the foot of a visiting defender on the goal line and the umpire had no hesitation in awarding a penalty stroke. Brown stepped up and coolly slotted the ball high into the net to give the hosts the lead again.

In the dying seconds of the game home keeper', Martin Beaver, produced a fantastic stick save to deny the visitors a share of the spoils as Colchester clung on to claim the three points. They now face a daunting trip to London this Saturday as they take on unbeaten league leaders, Wapping.