COLCHESTER United boss John Ward is fully aware that other clubs are continuing to monitor the performances of his free-scoring midfielder, Anthony Wordsworth.

COLCHESTER United boss John Ward is fully aware that other clubs are continuing to monitor the performances of his free-scoring midfielder, Anthony Wordsworth.

The talented Wordsworth tucked home his eighth goal of the season to seal a hard-earned 1-0 win at Hartlepool.

The victory propelled the U’s up to 10th in the League One table, just four points adrift of the play-offs.

Out-of-sorts Hartlepool, who have now lost eight home games on the spin, had no answer to Wordsworth’s 36th minute winner.

Manager Ward enthused: “It was a decent move and we’ve got Anthony Wordsworth ghosting in.

“He doesn’t get picked up in those little areas, he gets his little rebound and he’s in the right spot to put it away.

“That’s why Anthony’s a good player and why your best people are looking at him, and that’s why we gave him another contract, because we like him and we think he is a good player.

“He had a lot of hard work and graft to do in that second period, to keep those shots down to a minimum,” added Ward.