Banter with Burns with Colchester United Supporters Association chairman Jon Burns

THE highs and lows of supporting Colchester United hurt us yet again and just at the wrong time, too.

Being consistently inconsistent is becoming really frustrating for the fans and I am sure similar feelings are also on the minds of the management and players.

These chalk and cheese results are not what the U’s need as they enter the final furlong and it is shaping out that we will not want to be going to Lincoln for the final game looking for a result to secure a play-off place.

Lots to ponder on the long journey to Exeter tomorrow, where I particularly don’t want the highlight to be their new terracing for away fans.

The U’s were dominant and brilliant against Newport County. A superb performance with Senior and Nouble being lauded on the nation's social media for their great games and brilliant goals.

Big Frank was delighted to find yet another defender mesmerised by his twinkle toes.

After serious doubts about Mandron as a midfielder at Swindon I thought he was excellent last Saturday, so too John McGreal with his selection and formation.

No way did I expect to see the U’s outplayed by Forest Green, on Tuesday. They had just lost three on the bounce and the U’s should have made it a fourth quite comfortably.

I think that several key factors lost us the game.

The first up being that I thought Forest Green passed and played out of their skins.

There were periods where the U’s simply could not get the ball off them and in my view one of the best visiting teams that I’ve seen this season.

The referee frustrated Colchester throughout by seeing things that weren’t there and with his soft approach to time wasting.

Frustration led to ill discipline and will now cost us with a suspension of a key player.

Going forward I thought that Norris lacked support and also received the ball with his back to goal far too often.

That’ll need to change if he is to get us goals again and finally I really lost track of where people were playing towards the end.

Even at two or three down we should not lose our shape.

To be fair, in general I thought the U’s did not play that badly on Tuesday. Forest Green were just very good but there were still simple individual costly mistakes that need to be ironed out.

Sadly, the task becomes even harder with midfielder number four, Ben Stevenson, also likely to be injured for tomorrow.

This is beyond unlucky and makes me think with hindsight that the U’s should have asked for a Newcastle midfielder on loan rather than poor Callum Roberts, who has headed back home this week.

Onwards and upwards, well, actually sideways and down a bit to Exeter in the morning.

Good luck U’s - please put in one of those top away performances and safe journey to all of the fans heading down to Devon to support them.

Jon Burns, Colchester United Supporters Association chairman