Swindon Town 2 Colchester United 3, match report: Sammie Szmodics bags late winner for U’s

Frankie Kent, celebrating his goal at Swindon in a 3-2 win earlier this month, took a knock at Crawley but is hoping to be fit this weekend.. Picture: PAGEPIX (Image: Pagepix Ltd 07976 935738)

On-song Sammie Szmodics bagged a late winner as Colchester United soared to fifth in the League Two table, with a superb win at play-off rivals Swindon Town tonight.

Frankie Kent and Mikael Mandron had both struck with close-range goals, from set piece deliveries by Kyel Reid on 45 and 63 minutes respectively.

But it looked as though John McGreal’s men would have make do with a point, until Szmodics struck with his 10th goal of the season in the 78th minute.

It was the U’s fourth away win of the season, and they have now lost just two of their last 13 league games.

Kaiyne Woolery broke the deadlock for the Robins in the 36th minute, so recording his first league goal since the opening day of the season.

The U’s failed to clear a free-kick by Matty Taylor, the loose ball dropping kindly for Woolery, who smashed home from eight yards out.

Signed from Wigan Athletic for £350,000 last summer, it was Woolery’s first league goal since scoring on his debut in the 1-1 draw against Exeter on the first day of the season.

The U’s levelled on the stroke of half-time, from another set piece.

This time it was Swindon who failed to deal with a delivery into their six-yard box, from Kyel Reid’s corner.

Kent was the quickest to react, and he steered his shot at the near post into the net from close-in to register his third goal of the campaign.

Reid’s ability to deliver a pinpoint ball came up trumps again in the 63rd minute, with Mandron the beneficiary.

Frenchman Mandron rose high to head home Reid’s accurate free-kick, after Kane Vincent-Young had been fouled. It was Mandron’s seventh goal of the season.

But the Wiltshire hosts equalised in the 76th minute, from yet another set piece.

Taylor’s corner bobbled around before substitute John Goddard fired home, the ball flying into the roof of the net off the boot of keeper Sam Walker.

But just two minutes later, Szmodics made room for himself in the penalty area to beat keeper Lawrence Vigouroux with a clinical low shot into the far corner of the net.

Squads

SWINDON: Vigouroux, Purkiss (sub Knoyle, 46), Preston, Lancashire, Taylor, Mullin, Iandolo, Linganzi, McDermott (sub Gordon, 68), Woolery, Anderson (sub Goddard, 46). Unused subs: Henry, Robertson, Dunne, Brophy.

COLCHESTER: Walker, Jackson, Eastman, Kent, Vincent-Young, Wright, Comley, Lapslie, Reid (sub Murray, 83), Szmodics (sub Odelusi, 89), Mandron. Unused subs: Gilmartin, Kpekawa, Hanlan, Slater, James.

Referee: John Busby (Oxfordshire)

Attendance: 6,020