Four goals, silky skills from top Premiership stars and an open, entertaining game made it a night to treasure at Layer Road.

More than 6,000 fans squeezed into the ground to mark the swansong of one of Colchester United's most loyal and popular servants.

And they not to mention the man-of-the-moment himself, Richard Wilkins were to be far from disappointed.

Challenge - Micky Stockwell takes on Spurs' Ben Thatcher at Layer Road last night

There were a couple of absentees for Spurs most notably Stephen Carr and Jamie Redknapp but those in the starting line-up included Neil Sullivan, Chris Perry, Ben Thatcher, Darren Anderton, Simon Davies and Gary Doherty.

U's boss Steve Whitton used the occasion to run another check over trialist defenders Pat McGibbon and Mark Warren as well as keeper Richard McKinney.

Colchester started with Joe Keith and Gavin Johnson supporting the trialists in defence, but the quartet were powerless to stop Spurs taking a deserved lead just after the half-hour mark.

Anderton swung a cross in from the right and Doherty rose unmarked to send a bullet header past McKinney.

The U's restored parity six minutes before the break.

Scott McGleish's header was deflected over and, from the resulting set-piece, Johnson headed Karl Duguid's inswinger past Sullivan.

Spurs didn't have long to wait before netting their second goal, three minutes after the break.

Matthew Etherington made in-roads down the left but his low cross was miskicked by Rebrov.

However, the ball rolled invitingly for Oyvind Leonhardsen, who made no mistake with a drive from just inside the box.

Whitton rung changes of his own as the half progressed, hoping to inspire an equaliser including David Gregory, Alan White and Adrian Coote.

But, sandwiched in between the activity on the bench, Spurs raided to score a deserved third goal in the 68th minute.

Goran Bunjevcevic launched the ball forward and youngster Darren Barnard kept his cool to volley across goal past McKinnery

Published Wednesday July 24, 2002

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