"It had to happen," said beaming Colchester boss Steve Whitton after watching his team outfight, outshoot, outplay and outshine a revitalised Chesterfield side whose sights are firmly set on greater things.

And it was Kemal Izzet, a young player who could be destined for greater things himself, who put the wide smile on his boss's face with two cracking second half goals worthy of winning any match.

By his own admission Izzet wasn't happy with his first half performance, but buoyed up by some gut-stirring half-time words from Whitton he set about blasting the hapless Spireites out of the water.

The game was still goalless with 58 minutes on the clock when Izzet went full length to meet a glorious Sam Stockley right-wing cross and pick his spot with a powerful low header which beat visiting keeper Carl Muggleton all ends up.

The goal brought Layer Road alive and boosted by his timely strike, the industrious Izzet struck an even better blow 14 minutes later.

Thomas Pinault laid off a super pass into Izzet's path just inside Chesterfield's half and, as the visiting defence opened up and backed off, the former Charlton youngster ran on and on before unleashing a vicious low shot which whistled past Muggleton from the edge of the area.

Izzet's night came within an ace of being even more memorable.

His dramatic attempt at an overhead kick in the final minute just failed to connect and robbed him, by the width of his boot polish, of what would have been the first U's hat-trick in the League since Steve Brown's trio in a 4-1 home win over Bury in September 1993.

It was the U's first win in eight League and cup outings and Whitton was quick to shower praise, not only on Izzet, but his entire team.

He said: "Kem took his two goals extremely well, but so many of the lads were on fire in this match. Everyone of them got stronger as the game went on and I always knew our self belief would come up trumps. Our poor run simply couldn't go on."

Published Monday October 21, 2002

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