Tom Eastman admits his rapid return to Colchester United’s starting line-up after injury came as a surprise even to him.

But the long-serving U’s defender says he is delighted to have returned sooner than expected – and now wants to play his part in the club’s League Two play-off push.

It had initially been feared that Eastman would miss the rest of the season after he ruptured ankle ligaments in Colchester’s 1-1 draw at Blackpool, on February 4.

But instead of undergoing surgery on the injury, the Colchester-born centre-back underwent a series of injections to heal the rupture.

And after a six-week lay-off, Eastman made a shock return to John McGreal’s side for their game against Luton Town last weekend, helping them record an important 2-1 win over their promotion rivals.

Eastman told the Daily Gazette: “It’s a bit surprising to be back so soon but I’m really glad to be back and was really pleased to get 90 minutes under my belt.

“I went for the injections in the end rather than the operation and at this moment in time, it’s working out for me.

“There’s obviously a bit more risk that it might happen again.

“But the ankle feels strong at the minute and I’m hoping it can get me through until the end of the season.

“It felt good throughout the game and there were no real repercussions. The manager had asked me a couple of times last week how the ankle was feeling and I told him that it felt good.

“I’m glad the manager’s got faith in me and put me straight back in there.

“I’m really happy to be back and to get a massive three points against a big team in Luton was a big bonus for me.

“We’re only two points off the play-off places and now we have a massive game against Notts County, this weekend.

“We’re doing really well at home and now we have to take that form away.”

Eastman played his part in Colchester’s victory over Luton, where Chris Porter’s first-half brace helped them secure a valuable three points.

“The boys were brilliant in the first half and played some great football, scoring two good goals,” added former Ipswich Town defender Eastman.

“They pushed forward a bit in the second half but we held on well and never really looked like losing the game.

“They put a bit of pressure on our goal and I thought in general, we dealt with it quite well.

“They got a bit lucky with a couple of deflections and ricochets and he (Isaac Vassell) just toed it in but they didn’t look like they were going to get a second and we looked strong.”