Colchester United boosted their League Two play-off hopes with an important 2-0 win over Mansfield Town tonight.

First-half goals from Brennan Dickenson and Sammie Szmodics gave the U's a two-goal advantage at half-time.

And although Mansfield were the better side in the second half, the hosts' defence stood firm to see out the game and record a big three points.

Colchester head coach John McGreal made one change to his starting line-up for their game against Mansfield.

Midfielder Owen Garvan, who has been carrying a knee injury over recent weeks, was replaced by Huddersfield loanee Rekeil Pyke who made his first start for the U’s.

There was no place in the U’s 18 though for defender Richard Brindley, who was once again ruled out with a calf injury.

Colchester, who started the night a point below their opponents Mansfield in tenth place, experienced an early scare when defender Matt Briggs’ attempted clearance flashes just wide of his own near post after he had cut out Alex MacDonald’s cross-field pass.

But Szmodics dragged a low shot just wide from the edge of the area after Chris Porter had nodded neatly into his path.

Mansfield began to threaten after that and after Joel Byrom’s 30-yard first-time rocket flew just over the bar, Matt Green ballooned a gilt-edged chance horribly over from close range for the visitors after Alex MacDonald and Hayden White had done well to set him up.

But Colchester always looked dangerous on their left in the first half and they took a 20th-minute lead through Dickenson, who raced onto Sean Murray’s excellent cross-field pass and beat Stags right-back White before drilling a superb low shot past keeper Scott Shearer and in off the far post.

And the U’s doubled their lead eight minutes after when Szmodics neatly controlled Dickenson’s pass in the area before planting a fine shot past Shearer for his fifth goal of the season.

Colchester looked lively in the final third throughout the first half and more often than not had the beating of the Mansfield defence, whilst their work-rate and pressing was also impressive.

The U’s went in at the break two goals to the good, prompting Mansfield’s charismatic manager Steve Evans to make a double change at the break, sending on Danny Rose and Chris Hamilton.

It had the desired effect in the opening stages of the second half, as the U’s found themselves pressed back into the own half.

Benning dragged a low shot wide of the far post after bursting into the area just after half-time, before Green wastefully fired wide with only U’s keeper Sam Walker to beat when he should have scored.

It was a let off for the U’s who started the second period slowly and only a block on the line prevented Ryan Bennett from pulling a goal back just after the hour, following MacDonald’s free-kick into the box.

Such was the Mansfield threat, U’s boss McGreal sent on centre-back Alex Wynter for striker Pyke just before the midway point in the second half and switched to a more rigid back four, in a bid to deal with the pressure that had been mounting on their goal.

Mansfield kept pressing and there was little to be seen of the U's as an attacking force, in the second period and George Elokobi cleared Benning’s deflected effort from near his own goal-line late on.

But Colchester stood firm to claim an important victory and boost their play-off hopes, with nine games remaining.