Tony Humes was full of praise for his Colchester United players after they defied the odds to beat Preston North End 1-0 to stay in League One.

George Moncur's late strike was enough to give the U's victory over the promotion-chasing Lilywhites and help them avoid relegation by two points, on the final day of the season.

Colchester's win sparked memorable scenes at the final whistle at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, in front of a bumper crowd of 8,413.

It meant the U's stayed up and Notts County, Crawley Town and Leyton Orient joined Yeovil Town in being relegated to League Two next season.

U's boss Humes said: “It’s a great achievement for the football club.

“Credit to the players out there, because they were absolutely brilliant.

“It was a tough game and they’re a good team but we stuck at it.

“It was a cagey game with not a lot of clearcut chances.

“We didn’t go out to just stop them playing; we actually wanted to counter-attack and try and use our assets.

“But it was difficult, because they’re playing against experienced players.

“We kept going and going and kept doing what we believe in.

“Ultimately we got success from it."

For six pages of coverage of the U's win over Preston, see Monday's Daily Gazette.