James Belshaw - 7
Colchester put him under pressure at set plays by piling bodies into the six-yard box, but Belshaw stood up to it. Got caught under one corner which led to a moment of danger, but was rarely tested and did the bread and butter work cleanly.
Luca Hoole - 7
Lunged towards one pass and was beaten to it, leading to a dangerous attack, but that was the only significant misstep on the night. Made his presence felt in each third without the sparkling contributions that have highlighted his performances of late.
Connor Taylor - 7
Started the game poorly with three wild passes that all went out of play, but improved and won important headers to keep Colchester out.
James Connolly - 7
Made a strange decision to try to head back to his goalkeeper under pressure from Freddie Sears in first-half stoppage time and he was fortunate not to be punished. Little to complain about otherwise as Rovers kept yet another clean sheet.
Nick Anderton - 7
Had a difficult task up against the rapid Owura Edwards but Anderton held him at bay. Made a crucial clearance after Noah Chilvers delivered a dangerous cross.
Paul Coutts (c) - 7
Made a crucial challenge to halt Cameron Coxe as the full-back charged menacingly into the box and made an important header after Belshaw was caught out by a corner.
Sam Finley - 8
Pulled the strings for Rovers' best moves of the first half, pinging pinpoint long passes to Elliot Anderson that found his teammate in stride. Finished the game without a yellow card, meaning he has avoided a two-game suspension.
Harry Anderson - 6
On the unlucky side of the bounce of the ball on a few occasions, preventing him from making a greater impact, but he put in the hard yards and carried something of a threat.
Antony Evans - 7
Stung the palms of Shamal George with a wicked free-kick and he raked a handful of handsome long passes. Sensational tackle to halt the dangerous run of Noah Chilvers, showing he's more than just a playmaker.
Elliot Anderson - 9
Every chance that came Rovers way had his involvement at some stage, inspiring their best attacking moments of the first half with dangerous darts into the box from the left flank.
The same trick reaped rewards less than five minutes after the break, with Anderson feeding Finley before reclaiming a loose ball and bending into the far top corner to break the deadlock. Colchester, like Harrogate, could not contain him when he was one on one, nor when they doubled up.
Aaron Collins - 6
Often a peripheral figure in the attacking phase with Rovers struggling to break Colchester down and create chances, but he defended from the front and tracked back doggedly.
Substitutes
Harvey Saunders (for H Anderson on 69') - 6
Brought pacy fresh legs to the frontline which caused a couple of moments of worry for the defence.
Glenn Whelan (for Finley on 80') - 8
Won several free-kicks late on to alleviate the pressure as Colchester pursued an equaliser.
Ryan Loft (for E Anderson on 84') - 6
Got stuck in and gave a more physical outlet for Rovers to hit.
Subs not used: Jed Ward, Trevor Clarke, Cian Harries, Luke Thomas.
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