Colchester United's winless run was extended to six matches this afternoon after they were beaten 1-0 at high-flying Doncaster Rovers.

But head coach John McGreal and his players had good reason to feel hard done by, having deserved much more from the match at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Colchester had the game's better chances and will feel aggrieved to have come away empty-handed, following a solid display.

McGreal made two changes to their starting line-up for their game at Doncaster Rovers.

Kane Vincent-Young was handed his first league start for more than seven months in a right-sided attacking role in place of Tarique Fosu who missed out with a hamstring injury, with Drey Wright switching to the left wing.

Skipper Luke Prosser returned from a one-match ban to take his place in central defence, with Alex Wynter starting at left-back in place of the injured Lewis Kinsella.

Macauley Bonne, who was recalled from his loan at Lincoln City, was among the substitutes along with Glen Kamara, who was back from international duty with Finland under-21s.

Colchester were the better side in the first half and were unfortunate to go in at the break behind.

Kurtis Guthrie’s powerful shot flew over from long range after Drey Wright had done well to pick him out, in the opening ten minutes.

And Guthrie came even closer to scoring midway through the first half when his fine half volley from the edge of the area was pushed away by Doncaster keeper Marko Marosi, following Chris Porter’s knock down.

Sammie Szmodics then came inches away from heading home from Guthrie’s nodded knock down in the area, following Craig Slater’s pass into the area.

And as the home fans began to grow increasingly frustrated with their side’s inability to break Colchester down, the game changed in the space of a minute.

The U’s could easily have gone ahead when Wright’s fine run and cross resulted in Chris Porter planting a downward header straight at Marosi from five yards.

And less than 60 seconds later, Colchester fell behind when Tommy Rowe benefited from a clever piece of play from John Marquis to calmly lift the ball past U’s keeper Sam Walker and into the net.

It was a disappointing goal for the U’s to concede, particularly just before half-time.

Marquis narrowly failed to connect with James Coppinger's clever cross in the opening minutes of the second half for Doncaster before the U's made a change, bringing on Dion Sembie-Ferris for Vincent-Young in a bid to force an equaliser.

Guthrie came close to levelling just before the hour when his header was saved at the far post by Marosi after an accurate cross from Wynter had picked him out.

Colchester switched to 4-4-2 for the final quarter of the match, with forwards Denny Johnstone and Macauley Bonne on in attack for Chris Porter and Kurtis Guthrie.

Doncaster almost doubled their lead with 15 minutes remaining when after a Colchester free-kick deep in the hosts' half broke down, the hosts broke quickly after Marquis was left unmarked on the halfway line but Richard Brindley made a heroic goal-line clearance to deny him when a goal looked certain.

And Colchester almost grabbed an equaliser a minute later when Szmodics' low effort was denied by the on-rushing Marosi in the area after he had been threaded through by Sembie-Ferris.

Marquis went close twice in the space of a minute for Doncaster as the clock ticked down, with the second of his efforts saved low down by Walker at his near post.

But Colchester pressed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages and Johnstone came agonisingly close to scoring with five minutes remaining when his header from Sembie-Ferris's cross dropped inches wide.

Colchester felt they should have had a penalty in stoppage-time when Doncaster substitute Harry Middleton appeared to push Szmodics in the area but despite four minutes of stoppage-time being added, the visitors were unable to force an equaliser, as their run without a league win continued.