Stevenage 2 Colchester United 4

Chris Porter and Tarique Fosu grabbed late goals to continue Colchester United’s impressive run at Stevenage this afternoon.

The U’s lost a 2-0 lead, but came back to secure a deserved victory, and so make it 16 points from a possible 18 in their last six matches.

Brennan Dickenson and Kurtis Guthrie both scored inside the first 20 minutes, but the U’s lead had been wiped out by early in the second half, by goals from strikers Ben Kennedy and Matt Godden, only for Porter to stab home an 81st minute winner, and then Fosu to add a fourth in stoppage time.

Dickenson was on target with a clinical header in the 15th minute.

Owen Garvan swung over a teasing cross to the near post, where left wing-back Dickenson steamed in to head powerfully home.

It was the ex-Gillingham man’s sixth goal of the season, bringing him level with leading scorer Porter – for the time being!

Four minutes later and John McGreal’s men doubled their lead, to put themselves firmly in the driving seat.

Guthrie latched onto Denny Johnstone’s precise pass and charged across the penalty area, where he was felled by keeper Jamie Jones, on the edge of the six-yard box.

Referee Graham Horwood pointed to the spot, and former U’s keeper Jones was unable to prevent Guthrie from tucking home his 19th minute penalty, the shot flying into the bottom corner with the Stevenage custodian diving the wrong way.

It was also Guthrie’s sixth goal of the campaign.

Stevenage halved the deficit in the 39th minute, thanks to Kennedy’s fine header from Steven Schumacher’s free-kick, to make it just 2-1 to the U’s at half-time.

The U’s had squandered several scoring chances, in addition to scoring twice, and they were made to pay when Godden poached a 51st minute equaliser.

George Elokobi’s attempted clearance, near the left touch-line, was charged down and the ball broke kindly for Godden, who shrugged off the attention of Frankie Kent to beat Sam Walker all ends up with a deadly finish from 12 yards out.

There were chances galore for both teams, but it was Colchester who scored the all-important fifth goal of the match, substitute Porter steering home Richard Brindley’s shot from close in.

Fellow substitute Fosu then blasted home an unstoppable fourth, in the first minute of injury-time, on the breakaway.

Squads

STEVENAGE: Jones, Henry, Wilkinson (sub McAnuff, 46), Franks, Ntlhe, Pett, Schumacher (sub Walker, 74), King, Cowans (sub Lee, 85), Kennedy, Godden. Unused subs: Day, Gorman, Tonge, Johnson.

COLCHESTER: Walker, Eastman, Kent, Elokobi, Brindley (sub Doyley, 90+3), Lapslie, Garvan, Dickenson, Wright (sub Fosu, 74), Guthrie, Johnstone (sub Porter, 46). Unused subs: Barnes, Vincent-Young, Wynter, Kamara.

Referee: Graham Horwood (Luton)