Nouble winner earns Colchester boss Bloomfield first league victory

Colchester secured their first League Two win under new boss Matt Bloomfield with a 2-1 victory over visitors Harrogate.

The hosts went ahead in the eighth minute when Kwesi Appiah latched on to Tom Dallison’s long punt forward and touched the ball past goalkeeper Pete Jameson before tapping into the empty net.

Frank Nouble came close to making it 2-0 in the 23rd minute when his far-post header from Luke Hannant’s deep cross rattled a post.

But Colchester did double their lead in the 37th minute when Nouble converted at the far post from Junior Tchamadeu’s low cross following a well-worked free-kick by the hosts.

Harrogate halved the deficit in the 57th minute through Alex Pattison, who finished clinically from close range after Danny Grant pounced on keeper Sam Hornby’s poor clearance and picked him out.

Jameson made a fine save to push over Hannant’s fierce effort and Harrogate substitute Warren Burrell then cleared a Hannant effort off the line after Jameson had denied Alex Newby as Colchester saw out victory.