Wolves 4 Colchester United 2 Colchester United came close to mounting an astonishing comeback, at league leaders Wolves tonight.

The U’s looked dead on their feet, when trailing 3-0 at half-time. Joe Dunne’s men had been completely outplayed in an embarrassingly one-sided first period.

However, instead of crashing to the expected heavy defeat, goals from Alex Gilbey and David Wright turned this game on its head.

And the U’s so nearly grabbed an equaliser in the 86th minute, only for Sears’ shot to cannon back off the inside of the post. United were that close to claiming a point!

Substitute Nouha Dicko netted a fourth with virtually the last kick of the game to seal the U’s fate.

The evening had begun in ominous fashion with the U’s conceding after just 53 seconds to immediately put themselves on the back foot.

Jacobs swung over what looked like a regulation cross from the left, but the ball eluded Magnus Okuonghae and also the despairing dive of Sam Walker, the ball nestling in the corner of the net.

Wolves doubled their lead in the 26th minute, due to a bad error by Ryan Dickson and a smart finish by Dave Edwards.

Dickson was woefully short with his attempted back pass, which Edwards intercepted before Walker could arrive on the scene. The Wanderers attacker calmly rounded Walker, who was stranded in no-man’s land, and swept home into an unguarded net.

And there was no surprise when Wolves added to their lead just before half-time. Walker managed to parry Leon Clarke’s rasping shot, but James Henry was on hand to tuck home the rebound.

But the hosts took their foot off the pedal in the second period, allowing the U’s a route back into the game.

Gilbey reduced the deficit to 3-1 by gleefully heading home Dominic Vose’s inch-perfect cross in the 58th minute.

It was Gilbey’s first ever professional goal, and also the first ever goal netted by Colchester United at Molineux – they had drawn a blank in their five previous visits.

An unlikely comeback suddenly looked a possibility, when Wright volleyed home Sears’ teasing cross at the far post in the 72nd minute. It was Wright’s first goal in a U’s shirt.

But at the death, the woodwork denied Sears, before Dicko buried Wolves’ fourth in stoppage time.