DARREN Bent was quick to pay tribute to the other two thirds of the deadly trident after banging in another pair of goals at Colchester United on Saturday.

DARREN Bent was quick to pay tribute to the other two thirds of the deadly trident after banging in another pair of goals at Colchester United on Saturday.

Marcus Bent has scored in all five pre-season friendlies so far this summer, while Pablo Counago has netted three times and played a part in many more.

The three amigos have notched an astonishing 15 of the 18 goals scored so far in pre-season between them and if they have not been scoring they have been in on the assists.

Bent and Counago battled it out between to finish the club's top-scorer last season with the Spaniard hitting 19 goals in 37 games and baby Bent getting 18 in 27 appearances, while Marcus's injury-hit season yielded a dozen strikes.

Although he is currently on top with seven in five, the England Under-21 striker credited to the other two prongs in Town's prolific attacking spearhead for their part in victories and goals galore.

Marcus opened the scoring against Colchester when Darren forced an error from the U's keeper and the former Blackburn striker curved his shot in from a tight angle.

Counago played an excellent ball in for Darren to beat the keep then slide the ball home for the first of his two.

Bent said: "It was a great finish from Marcus, he played well and had another good all-round game.

"Pablo is brilliant, you knock anything in to him and it just sticks. You know when he gets the ball you have a chance because he turns defenders either way and slips the ball in, as he did for my first goal.

"It is excellent playing with both of them, they help the team out big time."

The worry that the goals will dry up pales into insignificance with confidence soaring among the strike force – and the rest of the team.

Bent added: "It is great to score two more goals but it is only pre-season – hopefully they will still come when the real things starts and it is more important.

"It is better to be scoring goals now though, than not scoring otherwise it plays on your mind. We have been getting the goals between us and hopefully that will carry on into the season."

Patience was a virtue at Layer Road with the Second Division side pressing hard themselves and not allowing Town's midfield to provide the trident with chances, until the second half breakthrough.

Bent said: "Colchester made us work, they had obviously done their homework on us and made it tight. It was a tough game but we came through and won."

The frightening thought for the opposition is if anything were to happen to the current starting trio, Alun Armstrong and Dean Bowditch are fully fit and itching for action.

Martijn Reuser, Fabian Wilnis and Ian Westlake have also weighed in with pre-season strikes.

derek.davis@eadt.co.uk