Colchester United are on the LDV Vans Trophy trail again.

They swept aside last season's beaten semi-finalists Swindon Town in Tuesday night's Layer Road first round clash far more convincingly than the narrow scoreline suggests.

Kemal Izzet hit the all-important 50th-minute winner, his fifth goal of the season, to send the U's into the second round for the first time since they lost to Carlisle on penalties in the 1997 Wembley final when the competition was sponsored by Auto Windscreens.

Half-time substitute Joe Keith, decked out in borrowed dazzling white boots, had only been on the pitch five minutes when he surged along the left flank before crossing for Izzet to sweep a 12-yard shot past Robins keeper Bart Griemink.

And Swindon's former Liverpool boss Roy Evans, whose team had inflicted the U's first League defeat of the season in September at the County Ground, was the first to praise his hosts.

Evans said: "Colchester thoroughly deserved their win. We would have loved to have gone through to the second round ourselves, but we didn't deserve to. Find out more about Colchester United FC "We simply weren't good enough on the night."

The U's margin of victory might have been even greater if a thundering drive 15 minutes from the end by young substitute Dean Morgan had not cannoned off a post with the giant Griemink well beaten.

U's boss Steve Whitton made two changes from the starting line-up that lost 2-1 to a last-minute goal at Blackpool on Saturday.

Frenchman Thomas Pinault, back from suspension, and goalkeeper Simon Brown, making his first appearance of the season, came into the side in place of the injured David Gregory and the previously ever present Andy Woodman.

Evans made four changes from the Swindon side which won 3-1 at Reading, bringing in Jo Kuffour, Matt Heywood, Paul McAreavey and Nathan Edwards for rested skipper and former England international Neil Ruddock, Steve Robinson, Matt Hewlett and Australian ace Danny Invincibile.

The tie, played before only 1,521 people - the U's lowest crowd of the season - started brightly enough with U's leading scorers Scott McGleish and Kevin Rapley both firing wide in the first seven minutes.

Colchester enjoyed a lucky let-off, however, in Swindon's first real attack on ten minutes. David Duke's goalbound shot from Bobby Howe's left-wing cross struck U's skipper Simon Clark and smashed against a post before bouncing to safety.

Meanwhile, Gavin Johnson was in the thick of the first-half action, laying on chances for Pinault, McGleish and Rapley.

The U's generally called the tune throughout and the visitors' goal survived a lucky let-off when Izzet fired high and wide with only Griemink to beat.

At the other end, the Robins Guiliano Grazioli almost caught Brown off his line with a header.

The U's, with Keith on for the injured Bobby Bowry, came out for the second half with all guns blazing and after snatching the lead via Izzet, Gavin Johnson tested Griemink with a 30-yard drive.

Even the late introduction of "Razor" Ruddock failed to inspire the visitors.

But as the U's continued to carve out chances Swindon did threaten spasmodically, livewire McAreavey twice forcing Brown to save acrobatically by the foot of his right-hand post.

Grazioli and Duke also went close, but nothing was going to stop the U's from taking another cup scalp.

Vital touch - Kem Izzet prods the winning goal home.

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