Notts County 2 : 1 Colchester United - Notts notch first victory

Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2014 by PA

Liam Noble's stunning strike secured nine-man Notts County's first win of the season as they defeated Colchester 2-1 at Meadow Lane.

The Magpies had got off to a great start when Ronan Murray put them ahead after just six minutes.

But they were indebted to goalkeeper Roy Carroll for the rest of the first half as he made a series of superb saves.

The former Manchester United veteran thwarted Jabo Ibehre on several occasions and then produced another smart stop to deny Freddie Sears in the second half.

Sears eventually broke his resistance in the 69th minute when, despite looking offside, he raced through to slip the ball beyond Carroll.

Notts boss Shaun Derry was sent to the stands as a result of protesting about the equaliser but he had barely taken his seat when his side moved back in front.

There appeared to be no danger when Noble picked the ball up 25 yards from goal but he let fly with a stunning drive into the top corner of the net.

The Magpies were made to cling on for the win though as Cieron Keane and Nicky Wroe both saw red for picking up second yellow cards.