COLNEY collected a major league scalp on Saturday with a close win over fourth placed St Margaretsbury.

Herts Advertiser: Martin Collins scores London Colney's first goal against St Margaretsbury.Martin Collins scores London Colney's first goal against St Margaretsbury. (Image: Archant)

Ryan Thompson’s troops came from a goal behind against the Saints, who played the entire second half with 10 men, to register their third consecutive league win.

The teams traded chances with Danny Fitzgerald and Yasin Boodhoo testing Matt Deamer while Saints’ Lee Roberts and new signing Richard Worrell both came close to opening the scoring.

Deamer was called into action again when David Parkinson’s free-kick found Shaun Murphy unmarked at the back post but the goalkeeper tipped his header around the post before blocking Matt Newman’s goal-bound effort.

On 31 minutes the first goal of the game arrived, and it went in favour of the visitors. A long diagonal ball from Worrell found Brett O’Connor in the box who made no mistake.

The lead was short lived as the Blueboys scored two in the space of two minutes to take the lead. Matt Newman set up Fitzgerald who raced around a defender before driving the ball past Deamer for the first before Kenny Hull started and finished a sweeping counter attack for the second.

The defender played the ball out of defence to Newham on the wing, he skipped past his opposite number before crossing a ball into the box where Hull, who had continued his run, swept it into the net.

Fitzgerald almost made it three minutes later but his header was saved. Then, right on half time the game swing wildly in Colney’s favour, when Sam Ruff was giving his marching orders for lashing out at Fitzgerald.

Straight after the restart Colney capitalised on the numerical advantage to take a 3-1 lead. Newman and Hull combined on the right before the latter found Collins, who worked a yard of space to fire the ball past Deamer.

Ten minutes later the visitors pulled a goal back, Worrell unleashing an unstoppable shot past Whittamore.

The two-goal cushion was almost restored immediately but Parkinson’s curling shot hit the post. Both sides went in search of more goals with Newman and Boodhoo both coming close for Colney and Worrell almost levelling arrears for the visitors.

But it remained 3-2 as Colney jumped up into sixth place in the league.

• Team News: London Colney has confirmed Ant Burns, who broke his cheek bone against AFC Dunstable is out for rest of the season. Matt Sutton (knee) and Andy Saul (concussion) have also been slowed by injury so manager Ryan Thompson has brought in Dan Brom Broxbourne to bolster the squad.