An amazing three-goal run in six minutes gave Albion victory at Layer Road and kept their automatic promotion assault firmly on track.

First Richard Carpenter scored on 23 minutes. On 27 minutes it was stand-in striker Wayne Gray's turn, and two minutes later Paul Brooker left Colchester mortally wounded.

Colchester rallied on 88 minutes with a goal from Mick Stockwell, but even that small joy was short lived as Carpenter made it 4-1 in stoppage time.

The stunning first-half run came after messy early exchanges in which Colchester almost went ahead in the third minute.

Cullip was penalised for a challenge 25 yards out but Keith's resulting free-kick curled over the five-man wall and just wide of the target with Kuipers at full stretch.

Early on, neither side seemed able to establish superiority.

Blatsis had his name taken for impeding Webb. It was an untidy challenge by Colchester's Australian international stopper and he could have no complaints about receiving a yellow card from Premiership ref Peter Jones.

Albion then took a firm grip on the game with two goals in the space of four minutes.

Carpenter put them in front on 23 minutes with a right-foot free-kick from 25 yards which beat Brown at his near post.

The keeper may have been unsighted by his defensive wall but it was clear what Carpenter was going to do and he really should have kept it out.

Carpenter's first goal since the end of August and first away from home for nearly a year was followed by one for newcomer Gray.

He raced on to Webb's flick to calmly beat the exposed Brown.

Hart was booked in-between for a foul on Keith, but things got even better for Albion as Brooker put them three up on 29 minutes.

He found the net from a seemingly impossible angle, his third goal in eight games.

The Seagulls were suddenly in command after their astonishing scoring burst.

The last time they scored more than twice away from home was in the FA Cup at Aldershot in November 2000.

The match meandered towards the break with Albion content to keep possession and the Colchester supporters in a bumper crowd resigned to defeat.

Colchester, with nothing to lose, introduced new signing MacDonald at the expense of White for the second half, prompting a switch to 4-4-2.

Cullip was cautioned on 50 minutes after an aerial duel with McGleish right in front of the dugouts.

McGleish required treatment before rejoining the action as Cullip protested his innocence.

The groggy McGleish left to ironic applause from Albion fans on 55 minutes as he was replaced by Colchester's joint record signing Coote.

McGleish then somewhat provocatively chose to warm down by the touchline close to the massed ranks of Seagulls supporters.

He orchestrated some good natured, if foul mouthed, abuse before a steward sensibly intervened and ordered him to go back towards the dugouts.

Colchester made a third substitution on 65 minutes, Morgan coming on for Rapley upfront.

Carpenter had his name taken 20 minutes from time for a foul on Pinault midway inside the Albion half.

Jones' first duty was to cover at the expense of a corner in one penalty area at the same time as Webb picked himself up in the other after challenging keeper Brown.

Stockwell skipped through the Albion defence and rounded Kuipers to slot an 88th minute consolation for Colchester.

Then Carpenter cracked his second goal of the game into the roof of the net three minutes into stoppage time from a free-kick on the edge of the six yard box, awarded for a pass back by a Colchester player.