Yeovil Town 0 Colchester United 1

Sean Murray chalked up his first goal in a Colchester United shirt as the U’s celebrated their first away win of the season, at the sixth time of asking.

Murray’s winner arrived in the 43rd minute.

A slick U’s move ended with Kyel Reid teeing up Murray, and the ex-Swindon midfielder’s well-struck low shot from the edge of the box flew in at near corner of the net.

The U’s had been coasting at 1-0 up in this same fixture last season, only to ship two goals in the last five minutes to lose 2-1, but history did not repeat itself today.

They defended well and deserved their first clean-sheet of the campaign.

The U’s showed just one change to the side that drew 2-2 at Grimsby in midweek, Murray replacing Brandon Comley in central midfield.

It was a very quiet opening, although Reid, fresh from his brace of goals at Blundell Park, scuffed a 20-yarder wide on four minutes.

Yeovil, unbeaten at home this season, threatened first in the 13th minute when leading scorer Olufela Olomola’s snap shot was deflected over the bar off the boot of Doug Loft.

Two minutes later and Otis Khan, Yeovil’s second highest scorer (four goals) curled a 20-yarder only a foot wide of target, with Sam Walker at full stretch, as the home side enjoyed a purple patch.

The first goal-bound effort, from either side, did not arrive until the half-way mark of the first period, when Walker punched away a long-range free-kick by right-back Thomas James.

The Glovers had the ball in the back of the net in the 25th minute, through Olomola’s close-range effort, but referee Antony Coggis had already blown his whistle for a foul by Omar Sowunmi inside the six-yard box.

The U’s went close on the half-hour mark. Brandon Hanlan’s header, from Drey Wright’s teasing cross, was cleared off the goal-line by defender James, and the follow-up header by Ryan Inniss drifted wide of target.

Murray had a couple of goal-bound shots blocked, by well-placed Yeovil defenders on the edge of the six-yard box, as the U’s finished the first half strongly.

And Murray was not to be denied on 43 minutes, as he drilled the visitors into a 1-0 lead. He buried a low shot from Reid’s low-off into the bottom corner of the net, for his first goal in a Colchester shirt.

Yeovil tried to respond before the break. Walker diverted away a low cross bt Jake Gray, and defender Sid Nelson then headed a good chance off target from the ensuing corner, in first-half stoppage time.

Into the second half and Hanlan had a shot on the turn well smothered by keeper Artur Krysiak on 50 minutes.

Yeovil huffed and puffed, with manager Darren Way making all three substitutions in a bid to shake it up, but the U’s comfortably held on.

And there was also the welcome sight of Kurtis Guthrie appearing as a substitute in stoppage time, for the first time since February.

Squads

YEOVIL TOWN: Krysiak, James, Nelson, Sowunmi, Dickson, Worthington, Bailey, Gray (sub Green, 53), Khan, Zoko (sub Browne, 75), Olomola (sub Surridge, 66). Unused subs: Maddison, Davies, Smith, Santos.

COLCHESTER UNITED: Walker, Jackson, Inniss, Kent, Vincent-Young, Wright, Loft (sub Comley, 69) Murray, Reid, Mandron, Hanlan (sub Guthriel 90+1). Unused subs: Gilmartin, Lapslie, Kpekawa, Kabamba, Odelusi,

Referee: Antony Coggins (Bicester)