COLCHESTER United will be playing League Two football next season after having their relegation fate sealed by Burton Albion today.

The promotion-chasing Brewers ran out 3-0 winners at the Weston Homes Community Stadium to keep the pressure on leaders Wigan.

But for Colchester, it means that the inevitable has happened and they cannot now escape the bottom three in League One.

They went into the game with only the slimmest of chances of dodging the drop, needing to win their remaining three games and hoping all their fellow strugglers lost.

They also had a vastly inferior goal difference which also worked against them.

However, in the end, the final nail was hammered into their coffin as Lucas Akins netted all three goals for Burton.

Colchester suffered a major blow after being reduced to ten men in the 17th minute.

Full-back Joe Edwards was penalised for a foul on Damien McCrory, although appeared to win the ball and looked shell-shocked as he trudged back down the tunnel.

The U’s were rocked back on their heels and only some smart saves from their man-of-the-match, goalkeeper Elliott Parish, kept it 0-0.

A goal looked inevitable, though, and it duly arrived in the 44th minute.

Mark Duffy delivered a low centre from the right and Akins was well-placed to turn the ball beyond Parish.

Colchester were staring relegation in the face and their fate was effectively sealed four minutes into the second half.

Akins, again, was on target after latching on to a ball on the edge of the box and rifling home a superb second.

Akins then added his side’s third on the hour-mark, lashing an unstoppable effort across goal and inside the far post.

More coverage and reaction to come.