Many positive points came out of this East Anglian derby clash with struggling Cambridge United.

Leading scorer Scott McGleish's two goals were the result of poaching of the top class.

Gavin Johnson's first goal at Layer Road was a bit special too.

The U's movement off the ball and exciting attacking play was very pleasing to the eye and their 3-1 triumph could have been five or six.

And it was also the first time this season the U's have fought back from behind to win a match. Find out more about Colchester United FC Poor Cambridge had no complaints and their boss John Beck was the first to praise the U's after an angry post-mortem during which a tray of sandwiches was sent flying over the away dressing room floor.

"Colchester deserved their win," said Beck. "They are a class act. Their organisation and movement throughout is very good and they handed out another lesson to us."

So superior were Steve Whitton's men it was surprising they didn't seal victory until McGleish thundered in an unstoppable 20-yard volley five minutes from the end.

A sloppy clearance by former Carlisle hard-man Richard Prokas dropped at the feet of McGleish just outside the apex of the visitors' penalty area.

Before anyone could blink the U's leading marksman flashed a vicious left-foot shot which curled past the despairing fingertips of flashy French keeper Lionel Perez.

It was also McGleish who started the U's scoring with a typical poacher's goal in the 37th minute to cancel out French teenager Armand One's shock strike against the run of play.

Lively full-back Karl Duguid was hacked down by Terry Fleming just outside the Cambridge area.

Perez could only beat away Gavin Johnson's goalbound free-kick and McGleish was on hand to blast the rebound into the roof of the net after Micky Stockwell's header from the resultant throw-in was blocked by a post.

Johnson found the back of the net himself to shoot the U's 2-1 ahead three minutes before the half-time break.

Kemal Izzet nudged on a Duguid cross for Johnson, powering in from the left, to rifle in a vicious half-volley just inside Perez's far post.

It was the former Ipswich man's first goal since he blasted a spectacular winner at Reading last November.

The U's should have opened the scoring in the first two minutes when Kevin Rapley and Izzet superbly dummied a Johnson cross to put Stockwell clean through with only Perez to beat. Stockwell sadly screwed his shot inches wide.

Ironically it was from the U's next major attack that One, easily the pick of the opposition players, stole a 13th-minute lead for Cambridge as the home defence was caught cold - just as they had been by Notts County a month earlier.

Duguid troubled Perez with a fiercely struck free-kick, but in a flash the ball found the young Frenchman at the other end. He cut in from the right flank, leaving a U's defender in his wake, before smacking a low drive across home keeper Andy Woodman into the net.

U's boss Whitton made just one change - Woodman for Simon Brown - from the side that had beaten Swindon in the LDV Vans Trophy four days earlier.

Cambridge were looking to shrug off their worst start in history, plus the fact they were without a League away win and had only picked up one point on their travels.

But it was the Layer Road U's who made all the running.

Rapley and McGleish both had first-half shots blocked in the six-yard box as the U's called the tune, while in a rare attack at the other end, Woodman flew through the air to turn away a Dean Walling header on the stroke of half-time.

It was a similar story after the break. Rapley ballooned a header high over; Perez kicked a Stockwell effort off the goal-line, while Thomas Pinault, Izzet and McGleish all went close.

Tom Youngs twice threatened danger in rare second half Cambridge attacks, but the U's ran out deserved winners.

U's players celebrate scoring against local rivals Cambridge United

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