ENTER Tom Eastman. His hanging-headed decider, which clinched all three points in beautiful Cumbria county for the U's after they'd first twice conceded, underscores a deserved cult status. No mere trier laces up his boots for Colchester United 417 times.

Recently-benched Eastman returned to action here as a late substitute for Alan Judge, who'd already scored. By most measures usually a defensive change, Eastman instead literally rose to the occasion at the other end, looming large between two posts he's usually sworn to protect, and planted the winner. Glorious.

Who better to steal Friday night riches in this frenetic 3-2 affair against Barrow. The steadfast dependability of Eastman, whose ten-year service bridges successive supporter generations, makes him the team's spine. But he also undoubtedly throws in an occasional chaos factor. He must be due a testimonial.

"Definitely a crazy game! Obviously not as in control as we'd have liked at times. I'm sure everyone who was here would've loved it," he told BBC Essex afterwards. Instructions were to protect a single point, but fate had better ideas.

So unassuming, our Easty. That's all part of the enduring charm behind this squad's current longest-serving member. Already holding an all-time most Player of The Year awards (four), he can both match and then possibly surpass Kem Izzet and Karl Duguid for total appearances.

This goal, his 22nd ever, also equals United's club league record for a defender. Long before jokes about a welter of ex-Ipswich Town players joining ranks (currently nine) became standard in Essex, folk were already thanking their East Anglian counterparts for ceding Eastman so easily.

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You can see why. Although the sumptuous five-pass opener by Judge trumps Eastman's eventual finisher for sheer aesthetic quality, the weight of importance behind his winner was obvious. What a plunder. One for us fans, Tommy Smith later said on Twitter. A real net-buster forged in the fires of a blood-and-thunder encounter at Barrow-in-Furness becomes sacrosanct for all cold-sweat hot-headed believes.

If you're not watching so far, where've you been? This game had everything: goals, red cards apiece, an unwelcome alleged racist slur (against Shamal George) called out in-play and elastic amount of endgame added time — seven minutes. Not since an eight-goal thriller against Walsall at home in 2015 (4-4 score draw) have I felt so sure we were potentially witnessing a match of the weekend.

There's an air of invincibility forming around Colchester United on the road this season, with eight points from four matches and unbeaten away league start so far. "Chat s@#t, get Eastman'd," one rather anti-poetic response suggested after his emphatic last word, a likely direct riposte to that mindless minority allegedly spewing out racist abuse behind Barrow's goal.

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Up the U's - Matt Calmus with Colchester United legend Karl Duguid

Our eye-catching victory proved a perfect tonic for some numb-bum syndrome that's become endemic during these recent epic-distance away day travels. In fact, Colchester United's impressive results run away from their own stadium is the best across the entire country, Premier League included.

At least Eastman kept his composure when it mattered; unlike myself, by-now energetically wheeling shoes above my head in a bouncing visitors end, awaiting the blasted final whistle.

But then, of course he'd stay cool: committed, loyal, consistent – he's Tom Eastman.