COLCHESTER United recorded their 18th victory from their last 20 fixtures to dump Derby County out of the FA Cup, in front of a sell-out Layer Road crowd.

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United recorded their 18th victory from their last 20 fixtures to dump Derby County out of the FA Cup, in front of a sell-out Layer Road crowd.

Championship visitors Derby were blown away by the in-form U's, thanks to a brace from Neil Danns and a close-range strike from Richard Garcia.

The U's are therefore through to the fifth round of the FA Cup for the second time in three years. It is fast developing into an unforgettable season for Colchester supporters.

On-song Danns broke the deadlock in the 44th minute, stabbing home from close-in after Chris Iwelumo had poked on John White's long throw.

And it was Danns who doubled the tally on 52 minutes with his 13th goal of the campaign. The former Blackburn midfielder swept home the loose ball after Richard Garcia's initial shot had been blocked.

The Rams were all at sea, and Garcia made the game safe with a killer third goal in the 58th minute. Keeper Lee Camp blocked Garcia's first shot, but was powerless to prevent the Australian from scrambling home the rebound.

Derby grabbed a consolation goal via the penalty spot with 11 minutes remaining. Tommy Smith converted the penalty, as punishment for Greg Halford pushing substitute Lee Holmes.

But the Rams never looked like mounting a late rally. The U's won with a degree of comfort, and so go marching on.