KEITH Curle had more than a 'Mac attack' to thank for celebrating his first back-to-back wins as Latics boss.

Conor McAleny picked up where he left off after his Easter Monday brace by firing Oldham ahead from the penalty spot, and Alfie McCalmont capitalised on a gloriously bizarre free kick routine, but it was captain Carl Piergianni and Davis Keillor-Dunn who ultimately made the difference.

Latics will be kicking themselves that they had to ride out the last 10 minutes of normal time as nervously as they did.

They still looked relatively comfortable even when Frank Nouble pulled a goal back with his final act of the evening before being substituted. But struggling Colchester were given a shot in the arm when Tom Eastman surprised Laurie Walker with a long-range effort that nestled in the net.

The U's searched for an equaliser, until Keillor-Dunn put the home side's nerves to bed with two well-taken stoppage-time goals.

Latics are the division's top scorers with 62. The fact they have conceded the most explains why they are not higher up the League Two ladder, and frustratingly they again missed out on a clean sheet.

But although Colchester showed the fighting spirit they will need to beat the drop, their miserable run stretched to one win in 25.

For Latics, it is all about ending the season as strong as possible as they look to a future that Curle hopes to remain part of.

The head coach was encouraged by how clinical they were against Crawley and named an unchanged XI in the hope of building momentum and securing back-to-back wins for only third time this season.

Latics had to show a degree of patience before the breakthrough came.

Colchester failed to offer much going forward in the opening stages but it became clear why three of their last five draws have been goalless. They got men behind the ball and showed real resilience in their fight against the drop.

But Latics eventually wore them down.

In the build-up to the game Curle had backed McAleny to hit 20 goals this season, and the top scorer took a step closer with the penalty that broke the deadlock.

Keillor-Dunn had done well to win it, dazzling defender Eastman to the extent that he was tripped in the box and referee Martin Coy had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Equally, with fire in his belly and his boots after that Easter Monday double, McAleny had no hesitation in taking it. And although Dean Gerken went the right way, diving to his right to get a hand to it, McAleny had too much power behind it and celebrated his 19th of the season and third in two games.

Looking to make up for going 11 without, McAleny almost had a second soon after, on his toes to nip in front of Eastman and meet Dylan Fage's delivery, but he clipped his shot narrowly wide of the near right post.

But McCalmont quickly doubled their advantage with a bizarre, but effective, free-kick routine which involved a cluster of players including McAleny and Dylan Bahamboula jumping in front of Gerken before the free-kick was crashed in off the post.

Their set piece stealth continued after the break as Piergianni finished well from a corner.

But just when it looked like being a straight forward night, Nouble pulled a goal back. Latics weren't rattled until Eastman got the better of Walker inside the final 10 minutes.

But their own persistence paid off, and with two composed finishes from Keillor-Dunn, it was done and dusted.