Records are made to be broken and Colchester United's win at struggling Northampton finally laid to rest an unwanted Football League record they had suffered for 13 years.

U's skipper Simon Clark salutes the Colchester faithful that watched his side win at Northampton

It was way back in the 1989-90 season that the U's last won a Boxing Day clash - 2-0 at Southend United in the old Division Four, courtesy of goals from Martin Grainger, now strutting his stuff with first division Birmingham, and Tom English.

The goalscoring heroes this time were classy Arsenal loanee Graham Barrett, who kick-started his league tally with a brace, plus an unfortunate Ian Sampson own goal.

Ironically Isaiah Rankin, the last Arsenal player to turn out on loan for the U's, also marked his only Boxing Day outing for the club with two goals in a 4-4 third division draw with Brighton at Gillingham's Preistield Stadium in 1997-98.

This win also completed the U's first League double of the season following their 3-1 success at Layer Road back in early September via goals from Scott McGleish and Kevin Rapley plus, strangely, a Chris Hargreaves own goal.

The old saying - when you are bottom of the table nothing goes your way - rang true for the luckless Cobblers in the latest clash, although they did take the lead, and for defender Sampson it turned out to be a personal nightmare.

The experienced defender and club captain, who has missed only a handful of games since signing from Sunderland in August 1994, had an unfortunate hand in all three U's goals.

Northampton looked set to go into half-time boasting a one-goal lead, courtesy of a close-range 36th-minute Richard Hope header from John Frain's inswinging corner, when in time added on, Sampson committed the first of his errors.

Mick Stockwell forced a corner on the right and when home keeper Adam Sollitt failed to cut out Joe Keith's superb flag-kick, the ball cannoned off poor Sampson into the net.

His plight worsened five minutes after the break when, with little danger threatening, he badly sliced a clearance into the path of Barrett who gleefully seized onto his chance, drew the keeper and slotted the ball home from an angle.

It was Barrett's first goal in League football and when the Highbury youngster made it 3-1 on 66 minutes following another Sampson mistake, the Sixfields skipper must have wished a hole would open up and swallow him into the ground.

His poor clearance only went as far as the impressive Karl Duguid.

The ball broke to Stockwell whose delicate chip into the box was flicked on by McGleish to Barrett who beat Sollitt with a header which went in via the keeper and a post.

Northampton came back into the fray with a great 80th-minute shot from Jamie Forrester on the edge of the area following a brilliant run and cross from substitute Derek Asamoah.

And there was a massive let-off at the other end four minutes later as Barrett wasted a great opportunity, shooting miles too high when put clear on goal by a stupendous through ball from Thomas Pinault.

Forrester had the ball in the net again just before half-time, but his spectacular bicycle kick was rightly ruled out for offside.

Adrian Coote impressed again after he was introduced as a late second-half substitute, but only a great double save by the immaculate Woodman deep into injury time kept the U's lead intact.

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Published Thursday December 27, 2001