Defeated U's boss Steve Whitton said people will look at this result in their newspapers and see Lyseden Christie scored four, Colchester United scored two.

What they won't see was how badly the ten-man U's defended, but also how unlucky they were not to have scored a hatful of goals themselves in the opening half.

The ever-dangerous Kevin Rapley, who finished with only one brilliantly executed strike, might so easily have been celebrating a hat-trick but for a fantastic save by Mansfield keeper Kevin Pilkington and a goal ruled out for offside involving a team-mate.

But this scoreline was more about Christie's lethal finishing and the U's sloppy defending.

Christie quickly served notice of what was to follow with two blistering efforts in the first 18 minutes.

Sixty seconds later those threats became reality when U's central defender Alan White 'switched off' for a split second and allowed Christie to touch in a cross.

It was the first of five goals in 12 hectic minutes and the loyal band of U's travelling fans didn't have to wait long for an equaliser.

McGleish was felled in the Mansfield area on 24 minutes and leading scorer Keith gave Pilkington no chance from the resulting penalty.

Unbelievably the U's immediately gifted the lead back to bottom of the table Mansfield, central defender Pat Baldwin this time misjudging a Craig Disley ball over the top which Christie ran onto before looping a header over keeper Simon Brown.

Four minutes later, Rapley seized onto an inch-perfect through ball from Thomas Pinault only to look on in amazement as Pilkington acrobatically tipped his goalbound 20-yard drive against the crossbar.

Within seconds Christie swept in a corner at the other end to complete his ten-minute hat-trick and stretch the lead to 3-1, Izzet at fault this time.

But the U's hit back on 31 minutes to make the score 3-2 for half-time, Rapley brilliantly lifting the ball over the advancing Pilkington.

Izzet himself followed up with a magnificent header from a Micky Stockwell right-wing cross six minutes before the break that looked a goal all the way until Pilkington pulled out another world class save.

The U's fell away badly in the second half and after greedily squandering other chances to increase his team's lead, Christie completed the scoring from a rebound in the 63rd minute after his first shot cannoned off the spreadeagled Brown's chest.

The visitors' woe was completed in the 80th minute when White was sent off for a second bookable offence.

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Published Monday November 4, 2002

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