COLCHESTER United head coach Hayden Mullins feels his side's win at Swindon Town in the Papa John's Trophy will help maintain their new-found momentum.

Luke Chambers bagged a first-half brace as the U's won 2-1 at the County Ground, to progress to the Southern Area quarter-finals of the competition.

It is now one defeat in seven matches for Colchester in all competitions and boss Mullins was pleased to see his side make progress.

Mullins said: “To come here and go as strong as we did and play as well as we did in the first half showed that we really want to keep the momentum going.

“It’s a competition that we really want to try and do well in.

“I think that showed in how strong we went (with the starting line-up).

“It’s a different distraction from the league and a different feeling and it keeps the momentum going.

“I thought that we started really well and the key message was to be professional and really attack the game.

“It was a real opportunity for us to progress into the next round.

“Swindon are a good side and we knew that it would be a tough test.

“I think the only down part in the first half was that we weren’t more goals ahead.

“We’ve got an extra day’s rest – we’re not playing until Sunday so it was a really good opportunity to attack the game.

“We want to keep that momentum going.

“We’ve been playing really well and I’m really pleased with the way we’ve been, even the Stevenage game where we dropped points and we got beat, I was really pleased with the performance.

“The Exeter game was a different game and to beat them 3-1 was another good performance and then the second half against Newport was really good."

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Chambers struck twice in the space of five minutes for Colchester at Swindon, with both of his goals coming from Alan Judge assists.

Indeed, the U's might have been further ahead after that, after creating a number of clearcut opportunities against their hosts.

However, Romoney Crichlow pulled a goal back for the Robins just before half-time, making the second half a more challenging experience for Colchester.

Nevertheless, they defended well and saw the game out to make progress in the competition.

Mullins said: “Luke Chambers was on for a hat-trick at one point and I thought that we going to get it.

“The only disappointing thing in the first half was that we weren’t more goals ahead and we let them in it, right at the end from a set play.

“With everything we did well in the first half, we should have been more goals ahead, which would have been really pleasing.

“Swindon really had something to believe in, in the second half with the goal that they got in the first half.

“If we’d have killed the tie, it would have been a lot more comfortable in the second half.

“Conditions weren’t good – it was really blustery and windy with balls flying around and holding up, so we knew that it would be a different second half but I thought we managed it at the beginning of the second half than we did towards the end.

“We dropped a bit too deep and I think with the three lads we brought on, it took them a while to get into the game.

“Swindon were always going to have a reaction, trying to get back into the game and there was always going to be a period where we’d have to defend well."