Danns the man for U's

Colchester United progressed to the Fifth Round with a well-deserved victory over Championship side Derby County.

Midfielder Neil Danns was the U's hero with two-goals either side of the break and Richard Garcia added a third to give Phil Parkinson's team a comprehensive win and continue their fine run of form this season.

And the Essex side, and their fans, have never had it so good. Reaching the Fifth Round for only the fifth time in their history is a fine achievement for such a modest club, but add to that their position at the top of League 1 and a place in the LDV Vans area final, Parkinson is doing wonders for the U's.

They set about Derby with purpose and had the ball in their opponent's half for the majority of the early exchanges, but couldn't find a way behind the back four. Their best chance came when Karl Duguid's inswinging free-kick from the left was pushed over by England Under-21 keeper Lee Camp.

It was Derby who carved out the first real chance but some fearsome defending from Greg Halford and a fine save from Dean Gerken kept out a double-effort from Spaniard Inigo Idiakez.

At the other end, the physical presence of Chris Iwelumo and Richard Garcia looked a likely way through for the U's. When a high ball into the box found the chest of Iwelumo just before the break, Danns pounced to drill the knockdown in off the post.

Danns has certainly found a knack of scoring this season, supporting Colchester's front two from midfield, and his strike just before the break was his sixth goal in six games.

He soon made that seven, 13 overall this season, seven minutes after the re-start. A similar situation, this time a deep throw into the box not dealt with by the Rams defence and again they failed to track the run of Danns.

The former Blackburn Rovers man tucked in the loose ball and sent Camp on another trip into the back of his net.

All over the pitch, Colchester were snapping at Phil Brown's side, not giving them chance to settle on the ball. When the home side won a free-kick on the right-hand side, their quick thinking set Halford - who was part of England's Under-20 Toulon squad last summer - free on the right.

He delivered an perfect cross which was met well by Australian Garcia and Camp could only parry. Garcia was the quickest to react to the re-bound and put Colchester even further in front.

There was still half an hour to play, and Derby were looking for some kind of consolation. Colchester began to sit back and tried to soak up the pressure from the visitors.

All looked to be going well until the referee pointed to the spot after England youth winger Lee Holmes fell inside the box under a challenge from Halford.

Tommy Smith despatched the spot-kick well, sending Gerkan the wrong way, to set up what could have been a nerve-jangling final few minutes for the U's.

However, Derby couldn't break down their strong resolve and were fortunate not to concede a fourth themselves. Colchester broke with two-on-one and Iwelumo rolled the ball into the path of substitute Gareth Williams but his tame effort was foiled by Camp.

Colchester will await Monday's draw with great anticipation after recording their 18th win in 20 matches. They'd no doubt love a trip to one of the country's big clubs and in the form they are in at the moment, they'd surely fancy ruffling a few more feathers.

Colchester United: Gerken, Duguid, Baldwin, Richards, White, Halford, Danns, Izzet, Yeates (Williams 78), Iwelumo, Garcia (Stockley 77). Subs Not Used: Guy, Elokobi, Cousins.

Derby County: Camp, Hajto, Davies, Nyatanga, Michael Johnson, Bisgaard, Thirlwell, Bolder (Holmes 59), Smith, Idiakez, Peschisolido (Holdsworth 38). Subs Not Used: Poole, Jackson, Edworthy.

Attendance: 5,933

Referee: B Curson (Leicestershire).