FORMER U's player David Rainford reappeared to haunt his old club as he converted an injury-time penalty to seal a last-gasp win for Chelmsford City over Colchester United Reserves.

Carl Marston

FORMER U's player David Rainford reappeared to haunt his old club as he converted an injury-time penalty to seal a last-gasp win for Chelmsford City over Colchester United Reserves.

The Clarets looked to be heading out of the Essex Senior Cup at the semi-final stage, because they trailed for the bulk of this match to Anthony Wordsworth's 17th-minute goal for the visiting U's.

But just when it seemed as though the U's had booked their place in the final, non-league hosts Chelmsford struck two late blows to turn this game on its head.

First striker James Hallett grabbed a 90th-minute equaliser, after Mark Cousins had only half-cleared a corner, but there was even more drama to come in stoppage time.

Chelmsford had strong appeals for a penalty turned down, when centre-half James Hammond appeared to upend former Ipswich Town trainee Oliver Berquez, but they were awarded a much softer spot kick from the ensuing corner. And appropriately it was Rainford who swept home the conclusive penalty.

Rainford, now aged 29, made just one first team appearance for the U's, as a substitute at York City in September, 1998. He made three further appearances in the League that season for Scarborough, but has since been a very effective player in non-league circles.

The U's had included several players with first-team experience in their ranks, including keeper Cousins, defenders John White and Matt Heath, midfielder Wordsworth and striker Sunday-Akanni Wasiu (back from his loan spell at Luton).