Peterborough United 2 Colchester United 0

Colchester United suffered their third straight defeat, the latest at the hands of play-off chasing Peterborough tonight, to remain embroiled in a relegation battle.

Joe Dunne’s men are badly out of form at the moment, and they have chosen just the wrong time to go off the boil, with just six more games remaining.

The U’s were never really in this evening’s one-sided contest, Posh easing to victory through goals by Tommy Rowe and Britt Assombalonga to consolidate their position in sixth spot.

By contrast, the U’s are down in 18th spot, just three points clear of the drop zone. It promises to be a nerve-wracking last four weeks of the season, just like it was last season.

Rowe broke the deadlock in the 26th minute for a dominant Posh side who were fresh from a Wembley triumph, in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Final (against Chesterfield) on Sunday.

The U’s have picked up a nasty habit of conceding goals from set pieces, and they succumbed again as skipper Rowe powerfully headed home Grant McCann’s corner, from the edge of the six-yard box,

Any hopes of a Colchester comeback – and they were always very slender – were quashed by Assombalonga chalking up his 26th goal in all competitions on 66 minutes.

The ex-Braintree Town loanee raced through on goal uncontested, before beating Walker with a deadly finish into the far corner of the net.

Squads

PETERBOROUGH: Olejnik, Little, Brisley, Bostwick, Rowe, McQuoid (sub Isgrove, 73), Payne, McCann, Swanson (sub Vassell, 87), Assombalonga, Washington (sub Ajose, 82). Unused subs: Day, Baldwin, Anderson, Knight-Percival.

COLCHESTER: Walker, Olufemi, Okuonghae, Eastman, Dickson, Eastmond, David Wright (sub Drey Wright, 68), Gilbey, Vose (sub Massey, 61), Sears, Morrison (sub Ibehre, 68). Unused subs: Cousins, Wynter, Sesay, Szmodics.

Referee: Darren Bond (Lancs)

Attendance: 4.434