The U's hopes of a cup adventure this season were brought to a shuddering halt on Saturday as League Two Swindon Town sent them tumbling out of the FA Cup.

In truth, the U's never really hit their stride, with visiting goalkeeper Wes Foderingham rarely troubled by the U's during the course of the afternoon.

Swindon grabbed a goal early in the second half to give themselves an advantage they were never to relinquish as they made it through to the next stage of the competition.

It was a pretty quiet and measured start to the game by both sides in the first ten minutes, with each keeper mere bystanders in the early stages.

The match was seeing each side get the measure of their opponents, and neither keeper had any serious work to do until fifteen minutes into the game.

The Colchester chance came from a Swindon corner, as the home side hit on the counter. They broke with Odejayi through the middle and his pass to Vincent into the box was well placed, but he was always on the stretch as he fired over.

Minutes later and Swindon had their best chance of the game to date. The free kick was floated to the far post and Flint cannoned a header off the bar, which the U's eventually managed to clear.

And seconds after that, the Robins spurned an even better opportunity! Ritchie broke the offside trap and rounded Williams but, with the goal at his mercy, hit the side netting.

The U's had to make a change midway through the first half, as Vincent limped off to be replaced by the returning Gillespie.

The striker had a half sight of goal on 27 minutes, as a low cross popped up for him to half volley towards goal, his effort taking a deflection over the bar.

Swindon followed the U's into an early substitution, as Kerrouche was replaced by Murray for the last hour of the game.

Some good interplay on 33 minutes saw Wordsworth send over a lovely left foot cross into the box, but Odejayi got under his header and sent his effort comfortably over Foderingham's crossbar.

Ritchie was the visitors' dangerman and pulled the trigger on 36 minutes, but Heath was quick to break his defensive lines and get his body in the way of the shot.

The match kept smouldering without truly igniting, but good play between Coker and Bond saw the former send over a dangerous low cross that was eventually bundled clear.

There was a moment of controversy not long before half time as Gillespie caught Foderingham as they both challenged for a through ball.

Defender Smith took exception to the challenge and faced up to Gillespie and both went forehead to forehead. The referee decided that both were equally to blame and got two yellow cards out.

It was an even start to the second half but Flint was left with head in hands five minutes after the restart.

A corner to the far post was missed by Williams flying punch, but the defender could not react in time to turn the ball home.

The U's then went close as they wrestled the ball in the south east corner before sending over a cross that Gillespie headed over the bar.

The Robins were breaking a U's defensive line with the pace of Murray and the Town loanee should have done better ten minutes into the second half.

He was in space in the box and twisted back inside from his initial touch, only to fire the ball straight at Williams.

The visitors got themselves in front on 59 minutes and it came from a U's mistake. Coker saw his ball forward intercepted and Ritchie bore down on goal to curl home a great effort beyond Williams.

The goal knocked the stuffing out of the U's and Ritchie sent over another dangerous cross not long after his goal that just eluded Murray and went into the arms of the grateful Williams.

Midway through the half, the U's saw their first sign of recovery as Gillespie skipped inside his man to strike in a left footed shot. It was always rising though and Foderingham was happy to watch it on its way.

The Robins were having the better of it though and De Vita was quicker onto the ball than Wilson and turned inside to send in a cross cum shot that eluded everyone in the middle.

Eastman came on for Okuonghae with quarter of an hour left to go, having failed to shake off an injury.

But the U's remained unable to test Foderingham in the Swindon goal, although Odejayi's header was deflected wide with ten minutes to go.

Indeed, much of the last fifteen minutes of the match was played in a territory the Robins would have been happy with.

Yet there was late hope for the home side as Gillespie found space in the box but his shot was fired low into the body of Foderingham, who snaffled it up gratefully.

The U's were sent out of the competition on an afternoon to forget and they need to lift their confidence soon as 2012 approaches.