Colchester United’s two-goal star, Luke Norris, praised his side’s strong defence following today’s impressive 3-1 away win at Cheltenham.

Norris capped his first league start for the U’s by netting twice in the first half, slotting home a 12th minute penalty before doubling the U’s lead with a wonderful free-kick on 26 minutes.

Kevin Dawson pulled a goal back for the Robins early in the second half, but Harry Pell made sure of the points by dispatching an 88th minute penalty against his former team.

“The defence really did it’s job,” enthused striker Norris.

“Frankie (Kent), Tom (Eastman) and Luke (Prosser) were all terrific.

“Cheltenham scored one goal, and Tyrone Barnett came on (as a substitute) and had one shot, but to basically go the whole game with the opposition having just two shots on target says a lot about how we defended as an away team.

“It was a good performance from the defensive line,” added Norris.

On his own performance, Norris said: “I did my job.

“I feel that scoring from dead-ball situations is one of the strongest parts of my game. I tend to strike the ball well.

“Talking to goalkeepers, I know how difficult it is for them when the ball is moving all over the place, as it was with my free-kick.

“I was delighted to see it go in at the top corner,” added Norris.