Mark Yeates and Scott Vernon's goals on the hour mark helped the U's to a 2-1 victory over a Northampton Town side that played the whole of the second half with just ten men after Paul Rodgers dismissal.

Colchester United made it eight games unbeaten with a hard-fought victory over a Northampton Town side that played the whole of the second half with just ten men. Adebayo Akinfenwa had put the Cobblers ahead but Town's on-loan Arsenal defender Paul Rodgers incurred the wrath of the referee to see red. A quick fire second half blast from Mark Yeates and Scott Vernon secured the three points but in truth it was the U's holding on against the ten men of Northampton at the end.

United manager Paul Lambert was forced in to one change from the side that started against Bristol Rovers at the weekend. Steven Gillespie's calf injury meant he missed out with Scott Vernon taking his place. New signing Simon Hackney took a place on the bench alongside Jamie Guy who returned early from his loan spell at Oxford and has impressed with his recent performances in training and in the reserves.

Cobbler’s manager Stuart Gray had former Colchester United loanee Billy Clarke up front looking to build on his hat-trick at the weekend. Former Southend United man Leon Constantine lined up on the right hand side of midfield with Akinfenwa partnering Clarke.

And it was the ex-Swansea man who did the damage in the first half which was marred by a bizarre 45 minutes from referee Iain Williamson. The man who sent off Steven Gillespie at Crewe earlier in the season managed to frustrate both sets of supporters with a nit-picky, whistle-happy performance that did him no favours at all. Happily, his second half effort was much better, and the game was no doubt better for it as well but by then he had made the critical decision of the first half by reducing the visitors to ten men with seconds to go in the half.

The visitors took the lead after eighteen minutes. Jackman's free-kick had been blocked by the U's picket-fence of a wall, but when the minute fullback put the ball back in to the danger area, Akinfenwa volleyed past Walker from 12 yards.
Baldwin went in to the referee's notebook early which was fair enough however Mark Hughes is probably still wondering why he was added to the list after a non-descript challenge had been penalised by Williamson.

Reid volleyed in to the side-netting from a very narrow angle as the U's looked to get back on terms and generally, they looked capable of doing so. Both Platt and Vernon were winning their share of headers against Hughes and Doig. The U's often found themselves very narrow though with Yeates and Perkins far too keen to play in a central area - a problem that is a result of having wrong-footed players on the wing.

A super tackle by Reid prevented Jackman from getting in to the box while Dunn had to gather Yeates' shot just as it bounced in front of him. By this time both Rodgers and Constantine had been shown yellow cards, but frankly I cannot remember what they were for (though holding on to the ball to prevent a U's free-kick might have been one of them!).

On 45 minutes though, the visitors were reduced to ten men and surely not even the staunchest supporter of Northampton Town could say that a yellow card for Rodgers wasn't deserved. He sent Tierney up in to the air in a way I haven't seen since Titus Bramble showed off his skills in a game against Bristol Rovers in January 2000! A second yellow meant that the Arsenal loanee would be first back in to the changing rooms for the evening.

And that sending off was perhaps the decisive moment of the match. Town manager Stuart Gray made immediate changes at the break with strikers Akinfenwa and Clarke withdrawn and replaced by fullback Crowe and midfielder Holt as they went 4-4-1 with Constantine up front and tried to hold what they had.
Vernon hit the woodwork with a diving header after Tierney's delicate cross in to the box as the U's took control of the game. Izzet had a shot on the half-volley from 20 yards go straight at a grateful keeper Chris Dunne.

The U's made the breakthrough on the hour mark just as they were preparing to make changes. The first came from a U's corner. Yeates had taken a free-kick on the left-hand side which had come off a Northampton Town head for a corner on the far side. The Irishman told Perkins and Hammond to take the corner and it was the U's skipper who delivered the ball in to the box. Pat Baldwin got a flick on the ball which diverted it to Yeates who made no mistake with a low volley for his 10th goal of the season so far.

And the home side took the lead less than a minute later with substitutes Gobern and Hackney waiting to come on. This time it was Scott Vernon who reacted quickest when Kem Izzet's shot from outside the box came back off the woodwork. The former Blackpool man's diving header beating the outstretched boots of Doig to head in to an empty net.

Lambert waited a moment before making his changes, and in my view at least, the substitutions did more to unsettle the home side that he would have liked. Louis Gobern came on for the hard-working Clive Platt - who is suspended for the trip to Carlisle on Saturday - whilst new signing Simon Hackney made his debut in place of Kem Izzet.

From that moment on, though the U's had their chances, it was the visitors who looked the team with eleven men. United failed to compete in the midfield and missed the industrious long-serving U's man whilst up front, we didn't hold the ball up well enough. Against ten men, you have to keep getting the ball wide for the two wingers, but we didn't do that well enough tonight.

Doig and Coke saw efforts go wide before Jamie Guy returned to U's action instead of Yeates who had gone up front with Vernon after the initial substitutions on the hour mark. A Hammond curler took a deflection of a Cobblers defender but thankfully it took the ball closer to goalkeeper Dunn.

Walker then had to make a couple of decent regulation saves. The first came from ex-Southend man Leon Constantine low down to his right before a better save from Holt saw the on-loan West Ham turned the ball behind for a corner.

As the visitors ventured more men further forward gaps began appearing in their defence and from one of these the U's should surely have scored. Hackney, displaying some nice touches on debut, sent Guy away down the inside left channel which left him one on one with the defender and with Vernon just inside him centrally. He could and should have just tapped the ball to his left for the former Oldham man to pick his spot past Dunn but instead, Guy carried the ball further and eventually saw his left foot shot just go past the far post. On another day, that decision might have cost the U's the three points.

However, the U's did manage to hold on for the third home win on the trot and Lambert has managed to get a side that looked relegation fodder in September, in to a team full of confidence that is now looking at making a late charge for the play-offs. I'm still not sure we're playing at our best yet either, which augurs well, and with a couple of acquisitions - most notably in attack - there is certainly no reason why the first season in a new home might yet be a successful one.

Shot of the Match: I can't recall too many thumping shots from the night but I guess Izzet's volley that helped the U's in to the lead was the most important.
Save of the Match: Again, I can't remember either keeper making a breathtaking save so I'll give it Walker's second half stop from Holt which he parried behind after it had taken a deflection of a U's defender.
Moan of the Match: Rolling balls.....don't blame the referee if he brings back play because the ball is rolling. He has too. It's a black and white rule for which no advantage can be played. Moan if you will at the players who know that the ball is moving when they take the free-kick.
Man of the Match: The sponsors gave Kem Izzet the MOTM at the ground we perhaps shows the former Charlton man's influence on the first hours proceedings. However, though he was again impressive in the U's performance, I'm looking at a man at the back for my award. Playing against his former team-mates PAUL REID didn't put a foot wrong all game and deserves all the plaudits. At this rate, the chasing of Rob Jones from Hibs for £200k seems a little wasted with Baldwin and Reid playing so well.

Colchester: Walker, Maybury, Baldwin, Reid, Tierney, Yeates (Guy 76), Izzet (Hackney 60), Hammond, Perkins, Vernon, Platt (Gobern 60).

Subs Not Used: Cousins, White.

Booked: Baldwin.

Goals: Yeates 57, Vernon 58.

Northampton: Dunn, Rodgers, Hughes, Doig, Jackman, Constantine, Coke, Osman, Davis (Larkin 66), Clarke (Crowe 46), Akinfenwa (Holt 46).

Subs Not Used: Zieler, Gilligan.

Sent Off: Rodgers (45).

Booked: Hughes, Rodgers, Constantine.

Goals: Akinfenwa 18.

Att: 3,973

Ref: Iain Williamson (Berkshire).

Photo: Action Images

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