Colchester United have tasted away victory at Newport County, with Ryan Jackson and Mikael Mandron scoring in the 2-1 win.

The first half finished goalless, with Brandon Hanlan for the U's and Joss Ladabie for the hosts having the best two chances. 

In the second period, the U's rode their luck a bit, with Sam Walker making a great save from Amond, and then hit the hosts with a quick fire double.

Ryan Jackson shot across the keeper to give the U's the lead on seventy one minutes, then Mandron got the slightest of touches to double the lead less than four minutes later.

Five minutes from the end, the hosts got one back through sub McCoulsky, but the U's held on for the three points.

John McGreal made three changes to the U's stating eleven, bringing in Inniss, Vincent-Young and Comley – with Kpekawa, Wright and Reid dropping out.

Craig Slater continued his recovery from injury, joining Gilmartin, Kinsella, Lapslie, Reid, Kabamba and Odelusi on the U’s bench.

The home side had started the season well, especially in South Wales, and it was they who had the best of the early possession and territory.

And their best chance came in only the second minute, with skipper Joss Ladabie sliding to get on the end of a Frank Nouble pullback but putting it well over the crossbar.

Ryan Inniss did put a far post header over the opposite bar and then had another header cleared as the U’s started to make a bit of headway.

The hosts had the next real opening, coming on seventeen minutes, when Nouble shot wide after a flowing move ended with the powerful striker.

Nouble showed that strength again on twenty seven minutes, shrugging off Frankie Kent to find Padraig Amond, who couldn’t find the target with his effort.

Six minutes later, the U’s had their best effort and Brandon Hanlan would have been disappointed when his angled shot was near enough to keeper Joe Day for him to deflect it wide for a corner.

McGreal had to make an unscheduled change seconds later, with Lewis Kinsella coming on at left wind back, replacing Kane Vincent-Young.

The change was made before the U’s could take the corner gained by Hanlan, and Inniss could have gone for goal with his far post header but opted to head back into the six yard box and Newport cleared the danger.

The final effort of the first half, if it could be counted, was a poor long range effort from sub Sean Rigg for the hosts.

Although the U’s had less possession than their hosts, they had protected their keeper well enough to have a half time clean sheet.

And they had to work extremely hard just after the break to prevent the hosts scoring, with Walker making a great save from Amond, and then block an effort from Nouble after Amond had hit the post.

Even from the resultant corner, U’s sub Lewis Kinsella had to be alert and head off the line.

Nouble then cut inside Kent but hit his shot over the bar as Newport tried to break the deadlock.

Having weathered the storm, the U’s got a grip on things and Mandron and Hanlan both had chances to open the scoring.

First, Mandron hit a far post volley wide from a clever angled ball from sub Lapslie, and then Mandron drilled a cross that Hanlan could only head over.

That came on seventy minutes, but the U’s only had to wait a minute more to get the opener.

Hanlan won possession, found Mandron on the left and when Mandron put the ball back across the box, Jackson took a perfect touch and drilled his effort unerringly into the bottom corner.

One quickly became two, with Mandron getting the slightest touch to Sean Murray’s whipped free kick from the left to double the lead.

Newport then threw everything they had at the U’s in trying to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

With five minutes remaining, they got one back, when sub McCoulsky flicked his header past a wrongfooted Walker.

The U’s defended heroically in the final stages, and in fact had the final chance of the game themselves.

Mandron broke forward, but his drive from twenty five yards out was tipped over the bar by Day in the home goal.

The final whistle went seconds later, and the U’s had made it seven points from their last three away matches.

It’s another road trip at the weekend, with Coventry City hosting John McGreal and co at the Ricoh Arena.