WAYNE Brown praised goal hero Junior Tchamadeu after his ''little bit of magic' conjured up a dramatic late winner for Colchester United.

Tchamadeu came off the bench to prove the unlikely goalscoring hero for the U's, after he volleyed home a first-time shot deep into stoppage-time to secure them a 1-0 win over Tranmere Rovers.

The teenager's first-ever senior goal clinched Colchester a vital win at the JobServe Community Stadium, lifting them 11 points above the League Two relegation zone with seven games remaining.

And U's interim head coach Brown had nothing but praise for the young defender, who proved to be Colchester's hero.

Brown said: “Credit to Junior, coming off the bench.

“He’s a young kid and what a finish.

“He’s just turned 18 and the lad’s got quality.

"He's played a lot of football - he's played 35 games for us now.

"He’s a real talent and that just proves it.

"He's had to be patient over the last few weeks because Coxey (Cameron Coxe) has come in at right-back and done well and been solid.

"But when we've asked him to go on in a position that's probably not his favourite position, he's really come to the fore.

"It was that little bit of magic which is probably what we needed to get over the line."

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It had looked like Colchester were heading for a draw against promotion-chasing Tranmere, following a hard-fought battle.

Luke Hannant had gone close for the U's early on but Shamal George made several good saves against his former club, including a superb stop to keep out Elliott Nevitt in the second half.

“We weren’t at our best today and it was probably one of the performances that we’ve had, since we’ve been back in," said Brown.

“It was flat which happens in football and we needed a bit of spark.

"That happens in football and you are going to get performances as a collective, where you're not at the races.

"We needed a bit of spark and I thought we were better in the second half.

"I thought we played the ball forwards quicker, we had more joy in wider areas and we had more territory, in the second half.

"Judgey coming on made an impact with the set plays as well and he gives you that little bit of quality.

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"Ultimately, they're on a run at the moment where they've struggled to pick points up, away from home.

"Feeling the pressure late on in a game was always going to be key and we've probably got one that's gone for us today, rather than against us.

“I thought we were better in the second half and credit to the lads because there’s been other games this year where we’ve kept going.

“We’ve had a lot of setbacks of late like conceding a last-minute equaliser against Leyton Orient a few weeks ago.

"The lads have performed really well in the previous two games against two top teams, with nothing to show for it.

“So I’m pleased to get the three points and I’m chuffed for the lads.

"The lads have been in a good head space.

"I thought we were a bit flat in the warm-up today, you know you can sense it sometimes that they're not at the races.

"We had to keep driving the lads on during the warm-up, during the game, trying to get the best out of them.

"The performances of late had been been very, very good with nothing to show for them.

"So by hook or by crook, we've had to come away with three points today and we've done that."

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Colchester felt they should have had a penalty in the first half when Cameron Coxe was brought down by Calum MacDonald.

But referee Carl Brook adjudged that the foul had taken place just outside the area.

Brown added: "We've looked at it on the footage and it's right on the line.

"Sometimes, they go for you and sometimes, they go against you.

"We've also got to mention Sham (George) who has pulled off a wonderful save when it's going in the top corner.

"That's kept us in the game at 0-0, so credit to Sham."