Karl Duguid and Rowan Vine scored Colchester's goals - but in-form goalkeeper Simon Brown won the match.

The former Tottenham Hotspur trainee put his recent lapses behind him and turned in a performance that was almost out of this world with a string of acrobatic saves to keep luckless Oldham at bay.

Brown set the trend with two tremendous stops in the space of a few seconds only ten minutes into the game, diving full-length to his right to turn away a Paul Murray effort followed moments later by a super reflex save to keep out a shot from Jamaican international and Bolton Wanderers loanee Jermaine Johnson.

Delighted to see his keeper back at his best, U's boss Phil Parkinson said: "Brownie has taken some flack in recent weeks but he pulled off some fantasic saves to help us win."

Published Monday December 15, 2003

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