Sunderland's unbeaten league run came to a crashing end at Layer Road, as results over the weekend saw us knocked off the top of the table.

Danny Simpson failed a fitness test, forcing Dean Whitehead to drop down to right-back, with Grant Leadbitter coming into midfield. Stern John and David Connolly started up front, while our rotation of left wingers continued with Daryl Murphy starting out wide.

Neither side managed to get much of an advantage in the first half, with Colchester sending in a lot of crosses that either went straight to Darren Ward, or harmlessly off target. Dean Gerken, likewise, had little to do, with David Connolly's left-footed shot midway through the first half being our only real effort from a scrappy first half.

However, Colchester took the lead before the break - in the fifth minute of what was meant to be three minutes of stoppage time - when Kevin Watson's free kick found the head of a diving Wayne Brown, who steered the ball past Ward and into the back of the net.

Sunderland did rebound in the second half, with Grant Leadbitter's 20 yard effort being blocked by Brown, before a close range shot from the striker was stopped by the leads of Gerken on 54 minutes. A minute later, Colchester weren't so lucky though, when Daryl Murphy's cross found Dwight Yorke, who nodded in the equaliser.

Colchester tried to regain the advantage quickly, with Whitehead blocking Jamie Cureton's effort moments later, before the former Reading man fired over the bar from 25 yards out. Substitute Ross Wallace had an off-day for Sunderland, sending several passes awry, as the game headed into a frantic finish.

Unfortunately, things did not go well for us in the final ten minutes, starting with Richard Garcia skinning Jonny Evans in the box before putting a left footed shot past Ward with eight minutes remaining. Danny Collins put a header over the bar moments later as we tried to equalise again, but all hopes were dashed in the final minute, when Dean Whitehead tripped Jamie Cureton in the box, allowing the striker to convert the spot kick to seal our fate.

Birmingham's win at Wolves today knocks Sunderland off the top of the league, and while we could get promoted next weekend, there will definitely now not be any promotion party at the Stadium of Light on Friday night.

Sunderland: Ward, Evans, Nosworthy, Whitehead, Collins, Edwards, Leadbitter (sub 85, Elliott), Yorke, Murphy (sub 73, Stokes), John (sub 60, Wallace), Connolly. Subs: Fulop, L Miller.

Colchester: Gerken, Baldwin, Brown, Barker, Duguid, Watson, Izzet, Jackson (sub 35, Ephraim), Garcia, Iwelumo (sub 76, Guy), Cureton. Subs: Davison, White, McLeod.