It all felt a little immaterial, given the fact that they had suffered the pain of relegation just seven days earlier.

But in scoring a dramatic and unlikely last-gasp equaliser, Colchester United at least gave their long-suffering supporters something to cheer about at Barnsley.

If nothing else, it meant they were able to finish a bad week on something of a more positive note.

With manager Kevin Keen’s surprise departure coming just 72 hours after the curtain had fallen on their eight-year stint in League One, there was a danger that the U’s trip to Oakwell would be something of an irrelevance in the overall scheme of things, at least to those outside of the U’s fraternity.

But the way in which Colchester battled back to salvage a 2-2 draw with their play-off chasing hosts, particularly with only ten men and Macauley Bonne acting as an emergency goalkeeper, was a major positive for caretaker manager David Wright, who took charge of the side for the first time and received a committed display from his players.

Wright felt the way Colchester kept going against Barnsley bodes well for next year.

But realistically how many of the players that featured at Oakwell will line up for the U’s, at the start of 2016-17 campaign?

Alex Gilbey will leave Colchester this summer, while the likes of George Moncur and Owen Garvan are bound to be targeted by other clubs following the U’s relegation to League Two and other players such as Joe Edwards, Tom Eastman and Nicky Shorey are out of contract.

Nevertheless, there are others who played their part in Colchester’s spirited display who have the potential to provide the foundation for their side’s challenge next season, not least Tom Lapslie.

The energetic midfielder epitomizes the commitment and desire of the club’s batch of home-grown players whom the U’s hope can form the bedrock of their new life in the fourth tier.

It promises to be a busy summer at the Weston Homes Community Stadium; comings and goings are likely to be plentiful.

But while it could not make up for the big disappointment of relegation, the U’s commendable attitude and professionalism at Oakwell might at least offer evidence of more of the same when it really matters, next season.