Colchester United will travel back to Essex with all three points after beating Carlisle United this afternoon.
In the U's longest trip of the season, John McGreal's side picked up all three points in a dominant display at Brunton Park.
The travelling side came alive with five minutes to go in the first half when Poku curled in a fine effort to give the U’s a deserved lead.
Just two minutes later, the travelling fans were celebrating again, when Luke Norris powered home a header from inside the six-yard box from a Bramall corner.
Kwame Poku added to the U’s lead fifteen minutes into the second half, with an incredible curling volley that nestled in the bottom corner to put Colchester three goals ahead.
A brilliant win for the travelling U’s pushes them back into the play-off places with Port Vale drawing at Cheltenham, and Northampton losing at home to Mansfield.
John McGreal made three changes from the side that lost at home to Cheltenham last weekend, with Norris, Nouble and Eastman coming in for Sowunmi, Robinson and Comley.
Both sides had chances to take the lead early on, with Carlisle going close first. Nick Anderton shot just wide as the U’s struggled to clear a corner initially.
Luke Norris was unlucky not to open the scoring for the visitors less than a minute later, when he stumbled trying to control a Jackson cross. His shot was weak and cleared by the Carlisle defence.
The U’s number nine was the danger man in the first half when Adam Collin in the home goal had to beat away Norris’ driven effort from outside the area. The home defence was called in to action again with twenty-five minutes played, as Max Hunt quickly got his body in the way to block a goal-bound Norris effort.
Cohen Bramall was close to replicating his spectacular free kick he scored against Carlisle earlier in the season when he took aim from twenty-five yards out. The home ‘keeper scrambled over to flick the ball over the bar and keep the scores at 0-0.
The U’s had seven shots on target in the first half, and Collin was again needed to prevent a U’s goal when Nouble’s flicked header was flying towards the far corner from a corner, only to be denied by a reflex save.
Four minutes before the break, the U’s took the lead. Norris’ initial shot was saved by Collin with Nouble collecting the ball by the corner flag. He laid the ball into Jackson who picked out Poku, who got the ball out from under his feet before curling a fine effort into the bottom corner to give Colchester United a deserved lead.
Two minutes later and the U’s were celebrating second, this time with Norris getting his name on the scoresheet. Cohen Bramall’s corner was whipped into the six-yard area with the grateful Luke Norris powering his header past Collin.
The visitors could have been three goals to the good before half time when Bramall took aim from another free kick. His curling shot from a tight angle bounced off the top of the bar and out for a goal kick.
Kwame Poku ensured that his side went three goals up fifteen minutes into the second half as his curling volley ended up in the bottom corner, possibly with a slight deflection off a home defender.
The U’s didn’t let up there and could have been further ahead when Nouble ran clean through in front of the home fans. Unfortunately for him, Collin was able to save his low shot with his feet as Carlisle cleared.
Harry Pell was unlucky not to see his audacious effort bounce wide. He ran on to the ball and volleyed, but couldn't quite find the net.
The U's were dominant throughout and moved up to sixth and back into the play-off places with the three-goal win, with Northampton and Port Vale both dropping points this afternoon.
Next up for the U's is a home match against struggling Scunthorpe United next week at the JobServe Community Stadium.