Tony Humes said he was proud of his players after they launched a superb comeback to win 3-2 at Fleetwood Town.

The U's had led at Highbury Stadium through George Moncur's goal, early in the second half.

But two goals in quick succession from substitute David Ball and Jamie Proctor left Colchester trailing a match they really needed to win, with 15 minutes remaining.

However, Gavin Massey's deflected effort got them back on level terms with five minutes to go.

And after substitute Dion Sembie-Ferris had been fouled by Nathan Pond in the area, Chris Porter slotted home the resultant penalty to spark animated scenes among the U's fans and give them a priceless win.

The victory leaves Colchester two points off safety with two games remaining.

They play their game in hand at home to Swindon Town, on Tuesday night.

U's boss Humes, who came under fire from some Colchester fans during the game, said: "I'm proud of the players.

"It shows what a tight-knit team and club we are, battling for our lives.

“Everyone’s sticking together and the players didn’t give up.

“It was tough out there but we got something out of the game which I thought we deserved.

“There are a lot of young players who are affected by certain knockbacks in games but we recovered from the two goals that we conceded and kept going.

“Two young players who came on, Macauley Bonne and Dion Sembie-Ferris, played their part so and what we’re doing in bringing young players through is going to be good for them in the long run.”

For five pages of coverage of the U's win at Fleetwood, see Monday's Daily Gazette.