Club captain Scott Fitzgerald said 'it's time to make our move' as Colchester United are sitting happily just seven points away from the Division Two promotion play-off race.

The former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international stepped out of the injury shadows for the first time this season on Saturday.

Dean Morgan loses out to Luton's Paul Hughes

He played a key role in the win that puts the U's only one defeat in their last nine League games where they are today.

Fitzgerald turned in a man-of-the-match performance, along with fellow defender Alan White, Pat Baldwin and Simon Brown as the U's pulled off a great 2-1 win against the odds at promotion-hopefuls Luton Town with goals from Karl Duguid and Dean Morgan.

"It was a massive three points for us," said the influential central defender.

"The game was in no way a classic, more of a 90-minute battling performance, but we're not going to argue with that.

"It was great to be back after being out so long - more than four months - and now I want to play as many games as I can."

Duguid the man who set the U's on the road to victory at Kenilworth Road with a cracking goal direct from a free-kick in first half injurytime, echoed his skipper's words.

The exciting utility man, like Fitzgerald, was making his first appearance in four months after injury and he was quick to praise manager Steve Whitton's faith in playing the two players.

"It might have looked a big gamble at the start of the game," said Duguid. "But the result proved what a good gamble it was."

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Published Monday, December 16, 2002

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