Colchester United have never won a League game on Bristol Rovers' territory.

In fact in 11 times of trying since the 1950-51 season their first in the old Division Three (South) the best the U's have ever managed is four draws and two of those were in seasons they finished second from bottom and were relegated.

With any luck Steve Whitton's men already have enough points in the bag to avoid the big drop this time.

But any more performances like this one at a very blustery Memorial Stadium and the U's could find themselves getting sucked back into the mire.

On this display Whitton's pre-season target of bettering 52 points looks a million miles off, even though his team already has 51 to their name with six games still to play.

The plain truth is Rovers, in deep relegation trouble, dominated this game from start to finish and fully deserved their win and all three points.

The only surprise was the fact the Pirates had to wait until the 85th minute to break the ice, courtesy of a well-taken goal from Latvian international captain Vitalijs Astevjevs.

By then a second goal didn't really matter as the U's had to chase the game and late substitute Ansah Owusu's killer strike four minutes into injury-time merely gave the scoreline a more realistic look.

The U's, nine points clear of Rovers going into the match, sported two changes from the starting line-up that had seen off Swansea City in their previous match.

Fit-again Joe Keith replaced calf injury victim Gavin Johnson at left wingback, while target man Keith Scott, fully recovered from a stomach virus, was preferred to Barry Conlon, two-goal hero of the Swansea success.

It was clear almost from the kick-off that the U's weren't firing on all cylinders. The west countrymen, playing their fourth game in eight days, made light work of the poor conditions while pouring forward from the first whistle.

An early mistake in his own area by young Kemal Izzet almost let in Rovers, but the U's defence, superbly marshalled by the impressive Scott Fitzgerald and Alan White were in no mood to let anyone by.

Colchester's best part of the game was the opening 15 minutes in which Keith and Duguid fired wide, while Aaron Skelton pinged a couple of testing crosses into the Pirates penalty box.

At the other end, a Simon Bryant cross eluded U's keeper Andy Woodman, but two players at the far post just failed to apply the finishing touch.

And there was another huge let-off for the visitors following a succession of Rovers corners when a goalbound Andy Thomson header was superbly headed against the underside of the bar and to safety by Keith after the ball took a wicked deflection off the knee of his team-mate Keith Scott.

Scott then threatened danger at the other end as the half-time whistle sounded.

The second half started as the first had ended with the home side once again forcing the pace, only this time stepping up a gear.

Former Plymouth midfielder Ronnie Mauge and ex-Newcastle striker Kevin Gall were instrumental in most of Rovers' best work, but their build-up play continually floundered against Fitzgerald and White and their solid defensive wall.

Conlon, Joe Dunne and Steve McGavin were introduced at various stages of the second half in an attempt to liven up an out-of-sorts U's.

Scott McGleish really should have scored just past the hour as Conlon laid a great headed pass into his path only for the ex-Barnet striker to fire woefully wide with only the keeper to beat.

McGleish volleyed another great chance from a Duguid cross over the bar with the keeper off his line minutes later.

For Rovers, Lewis Hogg was desperately unlucky not to be given a penalty when Izzet clipped him in the area.

Hogg was booked for arguing the point as the referee waved aside his appeals for a spot-kick.

But just when it looked as though the U's were going to hold out for a goalless draw, Rovers' relentess pressure finally paid off as Astevjevs beat keeper Andy Woodman with a vicious low shot just inside his right hand post five minutes from time.

This was the signal for the U's to go for broke, and they almost paid the penalty in the second minute of injury time as Owusu shot wide with only Woodman to beat.

The killer goal did come, however, two minutes later Owusu and Nathan Ellington linked up superbly for Ellington to knock in the final nail in the U's coffin.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.