Doncaster Rovers 1 Colchester United 0 COLCHESTER United’s dreadful losing run continued, as they tumbled to an eighth successive league defeat at Doncaster Rovers this afternoon.

David Cotterill netted the winner on 82 minutes, curling a shot into the far corner of the net after cutting in from the left flank.

It was harsh on the U’s, who had dominated for large chunks of the game on what was their first ever visit to the Keepmoat Stadium.

But Cotterill’s late winner meant the U’s have now equalled a club record eight successive league defeats, suffered in 1954 when the U’s were plying their trade in the old Division Three South.

The U’s had created the better of the scoring chances, before Cotterill’s goal, and had been unlucky to have a headed goal by Josh Thompson ruled out in the last minute of the first half, for a foul in the box.

But the U’s are now failed to pick up a point since a 2-0 home win over Bury, on November 17.

U’s boss Dunne handed a debut to attacker Dominic Samuel, who was signed on a month’s loan from Reading on Thursday. Samuel replaced Clinton Morrison up front.

Dan Potts’ recall by parent club West Ham, from his loan spell with the U’s, meant a recall at left-back for Michael Rose.

The U’s did not look like a side who had lost seven on the spin, during a first half-hour that they largely dominated.

Marcus Bean glanced a header narrowly wide, from Anthony Wordsworth’s eighth minute cross, and Drey Wright warmed keeper Gary Woods’ hands with a fierce angled drive on 12 minutes.

Just before the half-hour mark, Magnus Okuonghae failed to hit the target with a close-range header, after Marcus Bean had headed on Michael Rose’s corner.

New boy Samuel also ballooned a free header wide, from Brian Wilson’s delivery, as the visitors continued to force the pace.

At the other end, Rovers’ own debutant, Emile Sinclair, came closest to sneaking an early goal with a snap shot that whistled across the face of goal and wide of the far post.

The U’s had the ball in the back of the net, in the last minute of the first period, although Josh Thompson’s header from Wilson’s free-kick was ruled out, for a foul by Anthony Wordswoth on Jamie McCombe inside the box.

It was a frustrating end to what had been a good first half from the U’s.

Into the second period and Mark Cousins pulled off a fine save to thwart Iain Hume on 52 minutes, after Wilson had failed to clear his lines from a free-kick.

But chances then dried up, for both sides, until Cotterill bagged the winner out of the blue with eight minutes remaining.

DONCASTER: Woods, Quinn, Spurr, Jones, McCombe, Keegan, Syers, Cotterill (sub Husband, 87), Bennett (sub Coppinger, 67), Sinclair (sub Fowler, 67), Hume. Unused subs: Maxted, Griffin, Martis, Harper.

COLCHESTER: Cousins, Wilson, Okuonghae, Thompson, Rose, Bean, Izzet (sub Bond, 76), Wordsworth, Massey, Samuel (sub Porter, 87), Wright (sub Compton, 69). Unused subs: Pentney, Heath, Morrison, Sears.

Referee: Richard Clark

Attendance: 6,373