Carlisle 0-3 Colchester: Kwame Poku double seals win for the U's

Colchester got their Sky Bet League Two play-off challenge back on track with a decisive 3-0 win over a Carlisle side who had lost just one of their previous nine games.

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The U's virtually settled it with a two goal burst by Kwame Poku and Luke Norris just before half-time and Poku grabbed his second after the break.

Carlisle worked the best of the early openings as Harry McKirdy was a fraction away from connecting with Gethin Jones' cross.

Colchester came forcefully into the game with Norris testing Adam Collin in the home goal with a raking 20 yard drive then having a close range effort blocked.

Again it was the visitors causing problems for the Carlisle defence in the 34th minute when only an instinctive one-handed save by Collin denied Frank Nouble's header.

Two goals in a two minute spell were no more than Colchester merited.

The opener in the 41st minute was a curling shot by Poku from just inside the area which found the bottom left hand corner.

The second was as simple as it gets, a left wing corner and Norris at the far post nodding home unchallenged for his 10th of the season.

There was still time before the break for Cohen Bramall's angled free kick from the right to hit the bar.

Any hopes of a Carlisle fightback were largely scotched when Poku netted his second in the 59th minute with a shot from the edge of the box which seemed to gather spin as it fizzed into the bottom corner leaving Collin a spectator.

Late efforts by Lewis Alessandra and Jon Mellish gave U's goalkeeper Dean Gerken some action but Colchester never looked like a side that had won only one of their last four games as they moved back into the playoff places in League Two.