Colchester United boss Tony Humes was delighted with the way his team upped their game, after a sluggish start, to seal a crunch 2-0 home win over relegation rivals Yeovil Town last night.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the win. There were two nervous teams out there. It was a difficult first half, in which we never really got going,” said Humes.

“But we dug in there and defended well as a team to make sure that we didn’t give anything away.

“We got the players in the second half to be a little bit more urgent on the ball, and try to get forward quicker.

“And it was a good debut from Bongani (Khumalo). He’s an experienced player, and he looked very unruffled all game. In fact, the whole back four defended well.”

Debutant Khumalo, on loan from Tottenham, said: “It was all about getting the points, and we got the win.

“I’m very pleased to get the clean-sheet as well.

“The team showed a good desire and a good fighting spirit, we should stand us in good stead for the weeks to come,” added Khumalo.

Goals from David Fox (54th minute penalty) and Jacob Murphy (58 minutes) sealed the win.

The U’s travel to Kent to take on Gillingham this Saturday.

See tomorrow’s ‘East Anglian Daily Times’ newspaper for a big interview with U’s new boy Bongani Khumalo.