Arthur Read and Jack Payne netted late goals to give Colchester United their first win of the League Two season, after they beat MK Dons on Saturday.

Samson Tovide’s through ball met Read, who calmly dispatched the ball into the bottom corner. 

Payne then chipped the ball above Tom McGill, in stoppage time, to confirm all three points for the home side.

It rounded off a fine week for the U’s after they edged out Reading in a penalty shootout on Tuesday night to progress to the second round of the Carabao Cup - and backed it up with a narrow win in a tense game, in north Essex. 

Danny Cowley had made a couple of changes from the side that started against Reading, on Tuesday as Tom Flanagan and John-Kymani Gordon returned to the side, while Fiacre Kelleher and Owura Edwards dropped to the bench. 

Mike Williamson, meanwhile, made five changes of his own from the side that started against Watford in their midweek tie.

In the opening few minutes of the match, Williamson’s side squandered a terrific opportunity. 

Stephen Wearne broke the offside trap and put himself into a one-on-one with Matt Macey. 

The U’s shot stopper forced him the long way around and prevented an initial shot and, once Colchester got bodies back, Wearne found Carroll who blazed his effort over the bar from 15 yards. 

But, as the half wore on, Cowley’s side grew into the match. 

Ellis Iandolo’s cross into the MK Dons box reached Mandela Egbo but his header at the back post did not have enough power to trouble Tom McGill in the visitors’ goal. 

At around the half-hour mark, Payne had a series of efforts but a free-kick from just outside MK Dons’ penalty area could not find the target. 

McGill then dealt with a low-driven effort from a similar position, a couple of minutes later. 

The start of the second half saw a myriad of chances. 

Samson Tovide fired a shot over the bar and Payne then struck his effort straight at the visiting goalkeeper from the fringes of MK’s area. 

Macey was then called into action and made a sublime save as his feet somehow kept Callum Hendry at bay from near point-blank-range. 

The result means that the U’s move onto three points after two games, while MK Dons are still pointless.