JAMIE Guy has been the shining light in what has been a very subdued start to the season for newly-promoted Colchester United.The U's promising teenage striker celebrated his first-ever senior goal at West Brom on Saturday, within seconds of appearing as an 82nd-minute substitute.

By Carl Marston

JAMIE Guy has been the shining light in what has been a very subdued start to the season for newly-promoted Colchester United.

The U's promising teenage striker celebrated his first-ever senior goal at West Brom on Saturday, within seconds of appearing as an 82nd-minute substitute. But his goal was not enough to prevent Geraint Williams' men from sliding to their fourth successive defeat in the Championship. The Baggies held on for a 2-1 victory.

“I have mixed emotions. I'm disappointed with the result, but of course really happy to score my first goal,” explained Guy.

“A year ago, I was playing in front of one man and his dog at Staines (on loan), so it's a dream come true to score in front of a crowd of 17,000 at West Brom.

“Unfortunately, my dad was not there to see me score, because he was at Upton Park supporting West Ham in their opening match of the season. But he usually watches me.

“I was also a massive West Ham fan as a kid, so it was great to play on the same pitch as one of my schoolboy heroes, John Hartson (ex-Hammers striker),” added Guy.

Former youth-teamer Guy controlled Kevin Watson's cross and lashed home a ferocious shot on the turn, to give the U's hope of breaking their points duck in the Championship. But first-half goals from Nathan Ellington (penalty) and Ronnie Wallwork secured another home win for the Baggies.

Guy said: “I had only just come on. My first touch was to control the ball, and the second was to hit it. My first instinct was not to celebrate the goal, even though I had just scored in front of our fans at their end. I just wanted to get the ball back and get the match started again.

“We may have lost four out of four matches, but we're not getting played off the pitch. We will keep plugging on. We need to get some points sooner rather than later, and we remain confident in our ability to do so,” added Guy, who celebrated his 19th birthday on August 1.

Despite no points from four games, in their first ever season at this level, the U's are still not bottom of the table, thanks to basement club Sunderland's miserable start.