Colchester United 3 Cheltenham Town 0: U’s score some wonder goals to sink Robins

Frank Nouble celebrates scoring late in the first half of last weekend's 3-0 win over Cheltenham. It was his sixth goal of the season. Picture: STEVE WALLER (Image: � Copyright Stephen Waller)

Colchester United cruised to a second successive big victory, after completely outplaying Cheltenham Town and scoring some wonder goals to boot, at the Jobserve Community Stadium this afternoon.

Kane Vincent-Young, Frank Nouble and Abo Eisa were all on the scoresheet as the U’s returned to the top seven.

The opening goal was a stunner.

Vincent-Young advanced from the half-way line on a surging run through the middle and, after advancing about 15 yards, he let fly with a thunderous long-range shot which flew like a bullet past a dazed Scott Flinders.

After going 31 games without a goal this season, left-back Vincent-Young therefore celebrated his second goal in as many matches, following his clinical strike at Northampton (4-0 away win) the previous weekend.

Nouble also made it two goals in two matches, when he doubled the U’s lead with another superb goal in the 42nd minute.

Sammie Szmodics laid the ball into Nouble’s path, on the left-edge of the penalty area, and the big striker cut inside a defender before crashing home an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net, from 15 yards out.

Eisa followed suit with his second goal in successive weekends, in the 55th minute, to make it 3-0.

Courtney Senior did all the groundwork, beating several defenders on a mazy run inside the box before unselfishly sliding the ball across for Eisa to divert home from close-in.

The U’s made one change to the side that thumped Northampton 4-0 at Sixfields last weekend. Eisa was handed his U’s full debut, having impressed as a second-half substitute against the Cobblers.

The Shrewsbury Town loanee started down the left flank, with Frank Nouble up top and Mikael Mandron dropping to the bench. Mandron had suffered a slight hamstring injury last Saturday.

The Robins earned a couple of corners, inside the first 10 minutes, although their deliveries were caught up in the blustery conditions and did not threaten the U’s goal.

But there was a blow for the hosts, on 11 minutes, when Harry Pell went down clutching his hamstring, and so was immediately replaced by Tom Lapslie in central midfield.

The U’s finally registered their first goal attempt on the 20-minute mark, although Sammie Szmodics’ angled drive was deflected wide of the near post off defender Jordan Forster.

At the other end, Ryan Jackson intervened with a terrific block-tackle to thwart leading scorer Luke Varney, on the edge of the six-yard box, in the 22nd minute. Otherwise, the former Ipswich Town striker could well have broken the deadlock.

The U’s first shot on target arrived in the 26th minute, Senior’s 20-yarder nearly squirming under keeper Flinders, who gathered at the second attempt.

Four minutes later, though, and Flinders had no chance as Vincent-Young scored a wonder goal to give the U’s a 1-0 lead.

It was Vincent-Young’s third goal in a Colchester shirt, and his second goal of the campaign.

Eisa came close to bagging his second goal, in successive appearances for the U’s, when his fiercely-struck shot was palmed away by Flinders, following goal build-up play by Nouble in the 38th minute.

But the U’s didn’t have long to wait for a second goal, Nouble obliging with a stunning finish on 42 minutes. His shot was so ferocious that the net did well not to burst!

There was no let-up at the start of the second half, the U’s adding a third inside just 10 minutes through Eisa, who gleefully swept home from point blank range following superb build-up play by Senior.

Cheltenham did not actually force a save out of Rene Gilmartin all afternoon.

Squads

COLCHESTER: Gilmartin, Jackson, Prosser, Kent, Vincent-Young, Pell (sub Lapslie, 11, sub Mandron 84), Stevenson, Senior, Szmodics, Eisa (sub Dickenson, 66), Nouble. Unused subs: Barnes, Norris, Roberts, Eastman.

NORTHAMPTON: Flinders, Raglan, Tozer, Forster, Clements (sub Maddox, 72), Dawson, Broom (sub Barnett, 58), Hussey, Tillson, Bingham (sub Waters, 70), Varney. Unused subs: Lovett, Thomas, Duku, Pring.

Referee: Craig Hicks (Surrey)

Attendance: 3,028 (115 away fans)