COLCHESTER United kept the dream of gate-crashing the play-offs alive, thanks to a storming finish against stunned Leeds United at a jam-packed Layer Road yesterday afternoon.

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United kept the dream of gate-crashing the play-offs alive, thanks to a storming finish against stunned Leeds United at a jam-packed Layer Road yesterday afternoon.

The U's looked to be heading to only their fourth home defeat of the season, until the Championship's most deadly strike-force of Chris Iwelumo and Jamie Cureton conjured up a goal apiece to seal a dramatic 2-1 win.

Iwelumo headed home Karl Duguid's 82nd-minute free-kick, to cancel out an opening goal from Eddie Lewis, and an on-fire Cureton swept home an injury-time winner.

Iwelumo enthused: “We had to dig deep and keep fighting. In the end, we got what we deserved.

“We are moving in the right direction and we still have a chance of getting in the play-offs.

“Who would have thought that little Colchester would have a chance of getting in the top six?

“We achieved our first target for the season (avoiding relegation), and although we then suffered a blip, we're now on our best run of the season, with four straight wins.

“I think we could still sneak into the play-offs,” added a delighted Iwelumo.

Cureton and Iwelumo have now scored 39 goals between them this season. In the process, they have condemned Leeds to the bottom three again.