Colchester United boss John McGreal on Cambridge United defeat

COLCHESTER United boss John McGreal admitted his side lacked quality in losing 2-1 at Cambridge United this afternoon.

The U’s looked like they were heading for victory at the Abbey Stadium after Luke Norris had given them a 68th-minute lead.

But two late goals in the space of 70 seconds through Andrew Dallas and Harvey Knibbs condemned Colchester to their first defeat in 17 matches, in League Two.

McGreal said: “It wasn’t a good day at the office for us after all of the hard work we’ve put in.

“You don’t mind losing games but I thought our quality was really poor today, really poor.

“It’s painful, knowing how it’s come with two goals in 70 seconds.

“But we didn’t play well at all today.

“Conditions weren’t great but you can’t put it down to that.

“We feel as thought we’re a team that wants to take the ball and we didn’t have enough players who were willing to do that at certain times today.

“We had a little bit of pressure but I just felt the quality at times was really poor.

“It was possibly one of the worst performances, at the wrong time even though we got a goal ahead and they’ve had nothing really.

“But I just felt our quality throughout the game wasn’t the best today.”

Colchester conceded a 85th minute equaliser at Cambridge before going behind little more than a minute later, to lose for the first time in the league since last October.

“I’ve just looked at the two goals we’ve conceded and they are two poor ones to give away really,” added McGreal, who revealed Theo Robinson had been suffering from a bout of tonsilitis in the build-up the game.

“It was too easy for them to get the ball through the heart of the defence.

“And then the second, we were going sideways not looking to play forwards, there’s a turnover, a cross in the box and it goes in the bottom corner and before you know it, it goes in the bottom corner.

“We feel as though we’re a little bit on the front foot to try and get the second and had opportunities to get good quality in the box but I thought that was lacking in a way today.

“Nos’s finish is the first bit of quality throughout the match really.

“It’s a great finish and we wanted to keep on it.

“We lacked quality after that though and then the sucker punch came with their two goals in the space of 70 seconds.”