UNITED 3 (Blake 36, Cresswell 48, Blake pen 53), COLCHESTER 0
United: Stack, Foxe, Heath, Kilgallon, Crainey, Douglas, Derry, Lewis (Westlake 76), Blake, Cresswell (Beckford 90), Horsfield (Moore 63). Subs: Warner, Johnson.
Colchester: Davison, White (Jones 61), Jackson, Brown, Duguid, Cureton, Izzet, Iwelumo (Guy 70), Baldwin, Barker, McLeod. Subs: Gerken, Eolokobi, Richards.
Referee: M Jones
Dennis Wise again re-shuffled his pack, making three changes at the back. Matt Heath was handed his debut in place of Paul Butler, Stevie Crainey came in at left-back in place of Eddie Lewis, who pushed forward into midfield, and Hayden Foxe replaced Gary Kelly after the Irishman failed a late fitness test on his back.
Up front, Richard Cresswell returned for the suspended David Healy to partner Geoff Horsfield while Robbie Blake, who had a terrific game at Barnsley last time out, was again handed a free role behind the front two.
The conditions were hardly conducive to good football with a gusty wind combined with driving rain, but both sides showed some early attacking nous without seriously troubling either goalkeeper.
It took 20 minutes for the first real chance of the game, and Blake could have put Leeds ahead. Lewis did well down the left, picked out Blake with his cross, but while the striker got up well, his header failed to hit the target.
Blake also caused a problem when he swung a delightful free-kick into the box, but the visiting defence denied Richard Cresswell by clearing their lines.
And the former Birmingham striker was in the thick of it again shortly before the half-hour when Colchester goalkeeper Aidan Davison, a former team-mate of Blake's at Bradford City, got down well to his right to palm away a low, angled drive.
With Blake looking sharp it was no surprise when he opened the scoring for Leeds on 36 minutes.
Blake latched onto an incisive pass from Shaun Derry, skipped past Wayne Brown, and drilled home a low shot which left Davison with no chance.
Colchester's first real opportunity came on the stroke of half-time when Chris Iwelumo latched onto a John White cross, but couldn't make a proper connection and his header drifted wide.
It didn't take Leeds long after the restart to increase their lead. Good work on the left from Eddie Lewis ended with the American winger crossing the ball to the far post where Richard Cresswell, steamed in to head home his first goal of the season in the 48th minute.
Four minutes later United went 3-0 ahead when Cresswell was brought down in the box by John White and Blake stepped up to score from the spot with a coolly taken effort.
Blake continued to be involved of much of Leeds' attacking play and when he unleashed the ball forward, Cresswell was only inches away from turning it past Colchester keeper Davison.
Leeds had an anxious moment when John Jackson's shot took a deflection and hit the foot of Stack's right-hand post. And when the visitors pushed forward again, Stack gathered a shot from Kevin McLeod.
At the other end Ian Moore headed a left wing cross from Ian Westlake just wide of the far post.
United were full value for this much-needed victory, the second successive home win under the management of Dennis Wise.
