Colchester United head coach John McGreal described their 2-1 win over Barnet as their best victory of the season after they battled back from adversity to claim three points.

The U's recovered from losing centre-backs Frankie Kent and Lloyd Doyley early on to beat the Bees and claim a fifth successive home win, at a freezing Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Goals from Kurtis Guthrie and Brennan Dickenson set Colchester on their way and although John Akinde pulled a late goal back for Barnet, the U's held on.

McGreal said: "It's one defeat in 12 for us now and we want to keep that feel-good factor around the place.

"We want players to come in now and start trying to win games to try and get us in and around the play-offs.

"It's a lot happier place than it was earlier on in the season.

"We've had all of these injuries but you can't bring the lads down from the dressing room.

"They're flying after what's gone on today in the face of adversity so tremendous credit to the players.

“We consider that to be our biggest win of the season, given what has gone on during the week and the amount of bodies that we’ve lost.

“At ten past three, our two centre-halves went down and then you’re scratching around.

“A lot of other things had gone on during the week with Chris Porter going down and Owen Garvan touch and go but the lads deserve so much credit."

Guthrie fired Colchester ahead with his 11th goal of the season in the 18th minute, before Dickenson added a second in the 42nd minute.

McGreal added: “Kurtis Guthrie’s goal came at a good time and that gave us a lift.

“Credit to every one of the players; players who haven’t been in and around it have come back into the team and put a hell of a shift in and ground out a win.

“In the second half, we set up to counter and we got into some fantastic positions to counter and didn’t make the most of it but I thought that we deserved the win.”