IT was nice while it lasted.

Colchester’s marvellous March gave us all a brief, flickering ember of hope that they could pull of another Houdini act.

But it was always going to be massive hill to climb – and we all knew the inevitable was coming.

It was a question of when, not if. Well that ‘when’ finally happened on Saturday and now the U’s can officially start preparing for life in League Two.

I’ve spent the bulk of the season watching from afar, covering non-league football rather than the fortunes of Kevin Keen’s men. But it seems to me that frustration has been the watchword in a wretched campaign of ‘what ifs’.

What if the team had been more consistent, rather than having two winning spurts in September (four wins in a row) and recent weeks, when they won three and drew two in six?

And what if they’d not conceded so many daft, preventable late goals? They’ve haemorrhaged 17 in the last ten10 minutes of matches, costing then an eye-watering 14 points.

Had they held on to their leads or even closed out draws, they’d be home and hosed by now – several points clear of the dreaded trapdoor.

Those have been the negatives in a largely disappointing campaign but maybe, just maybe, relegation could become a positive, in the long run.

I’m loathe to use the word ‘blessing’ because that sounds ridiculous. There’s no doubt Robbie Cowling, Kevin Keen and the team would rather be in League One than League Two.

However, after punching above their weight for so long, this gives the club a chance to galvanise, regroup and readjust to life at a lower level.

And it’s a level in which you’d like to think they’d be a winning team, rather than a losing, inconsistent one, as has been the case for four years.

The U’s young players could flourish and prosper and a successful team challenging at the top, rather than languishing at the bottom, will hopefully generate bigger crowds and more enthusiasm. Of course, there’s no guarantee any of the above will happen. It won’t be easy and the proof will be in the pudding. We won’t know for months how the team adapts to the lower level.

But I like the thought that relegation could eventually make the club bigger, better and stronger, so that next time they’re better equipped to compete in League One. That’s my belief and having witnessed the positivity around the stadium at the weekend, once again amid trying circumstances, I’m sure I’m not alone in having that hope.