John Ward praised his Colchester United side after they beat Hereford United 3-0 this evening to book their place in the second round of the Carling Cup.

Two goals from David Mooney and another from Ian Henderson helped the U's claim victory, following an assured performance against their npower League Two hosts.

The win follows on from Colchester's opening-day draw at Exeter City and sets them up nicely for the opening home game against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Ward said: "We've come away from home with two tough games but we can now go into the Sheffield Wednesday game on Saturday with a lot of confidence.

"It was good defensively, because Hereford were big opponents.

"It was a physical contest for us and after a late goal on Saturday, it was nice to keep a clean sheet."

All of Colchester's three goals were of a high quality and they once again produced an attractive passing display.

"We pass the ball like that on a daily basis (in training) but we don't want to be a nice team to watch that doesn't win," said Ward.

"We want to be scoring, as well as passing the ball well."

For a full match report, pictures and reaction to Colchester United's win over Hereford United, see tomorrow's Gazette.