CONFIDENT Aussie Richard Garcia believes that Colchester United can gate-crash the Championship play-offs after toppling leaders Sunderland at Layer Road on Saturday.

By Carl Marston

CONFIDENT Aussie Richard Garcia believes that Colchester United can gate-crash the Championship play-offs after toppling leaders Sunderland at Layer Road on Saturday.

Garcia regained the lead for the U's with a clinical finish on 82 minutes to propel Geraint Williams' men to within a point of the top six.

Veteran Dwight Yorke had cancelled out Wayne Brown's first goal of the season, but Sunderland hadn't bargained for a storming finale from the U's, who netted through Garcia and a Jamie Cureton penalty to secure a deserved 3-1 win. It was Sunderland's first league defeat of 2007, signalling an abrupt halt to an unbeaten run stretching back 17 games.

“Hopefully, someone will slip up over the last couple of games,” insisted Garcia.

“No one probably believes that we can make it, but we are very ambitious boys and we fancy our chances.

“We know that we are putting pressure on ourselves, by continuing to win and getting up there. But we like it that way. Layer Road has had a massive effect. The crowd is great and our confidence at home is a big issue. We are a very attacking team at home and we believe that we can beat anyone.”