Colchester United 2 Sheffield United 3: Porter makes return in triumph for Blades

The Blades had raced into an early 2-0 lead at Weston Homes Community Stadium through central defender Harry Maguire’s header – his fifth of the season – and an own goal by goalkeeper Sam Walker, who deflected in a cross from Porter after it had already taken one off a defender.

But Macauley Bonne nodded in Luke Garbutt’s cross to reduce the deficit and then Garbutt fired in from 25 yards to level just after the hour mark.

However, Porter won it from the spot after Magnus Okuonghae handled.

Sheffield United manager Nigel Clough said: “It was a very hard earned but deserved victory. To get two goals up – it should have been three – in the first half was a great opening period from us.

“A third one would have really killed them off. It wasn’t through the want of trying and we didn’t sit back and we eventually got the win which was well deserved.”

Clough paired Porter and Shaun Miller up front, the latter, making his first start since December after recovering from a serious knee injury and he impressed with his energy and ideas.

Porter was put straight back into the team following a spell on loan at Chesterfield and marked his return with a combative first-half display against two towering Colchester centre-halves.

After their two early strikes, Tony McMahon tested Walker with a 30-yarder and Maguire fired over the top before the break.

Colchester, who had not enjoyed a single shot on target throughout the entire first-half, replaced Bond with Dickson at the start of the second.

But it was Bonne, flinging himself through the air to head home Garbutt’s 47th-minute cross on his first senior start, who handed Joe Dunne’s charges a lifeline.

Porter glanced a header just past the foot of Walker’s post soon after and should have made the game safe just before the hour-mark when he inexplicably failed to turn home McMahon’s cross.

Garbutt made United pay in the 64th minute when he powered a thunderous low drive past Long.

Walker produced a super save to parry away another angled header from Porter, who redeemed himself by scoring the winning goal from the penaly spot when Okuonghae was harshly adjudged to have deliberately handled.

Colchester United: Walker, Wilson, Okuonghae, Eastman, Garbutt, Bond (Dickson 46), Bean, Eastmond (Vose 79), Gilbey, Morrison, Bonne (Szmidics 87). Unused substitutes: Cousins, Sanderson, Olufemi, Spence.

Sheffield United: Long, McMahon, Maguire, Collins, Hill, Coady, McGinn (Flynn 68), Doyle, Lappin, Porter (Taylor 90), Miller (Baxter 75). Unused substitutes: Howard, Cuvelier, King, Murphy.

Referee: P Gibbs (West Midlands).

Man of the match: Chris Porter.