Post-match anger

John McGreal has always been careful and measured in his assessment of refereeing decisions, during his two years as Colchester United’s head coach.

So the U’s manager’s criticism of Brendan Malone in the aftermath of his side’s 3-1 home loss against Notts County yesterday was somewhat out of character, to say the least.

It was a sign of just how angry McGreal was that the Wiltshire official failed to take action against Shola Ameobi for his alleged elbow on skipper Luke Prosser in an off-the-ball incident, just before half-time.

Had the experienced striker been dismissed at that stage, with Colchester leading 1-0 and seemingly in control of the match, the hosts might well have been celebrating a vital victory.

As it was, Ameobi stayed on the pitch and to rub salt into the wound, scored Notts County’s second goal, as his side came back to win.

Goal-shy U's

Colchester United’s last two home games have rather encapsulated their season as a whole.

They have shown plenty of enterprise in pushing two of League Two’s leading teams all the way but have lacked the necessary cutting edge to secure the result they desire.

Some of the U’s attacking enterprise against Notts County was a joy to watch particularly in the first half, with Drey Wright’s excellent goal a case in point.

But the reality is that too often this season, they have not scored enough goals to back up that build-up play.

A disappointing return of three goals in their last five homes games, albeit with their last three fixtures there coming against promotion-chasing sides, is a case in point.

Colchester have scored fewer goals than any of the top-ten sides in the division and essentially, that is one of the main reasons why they will be playing in the fourth tier again, next season.

Captain fantastic

Luke Prosser gave an honest assessment of his own performance, in the aftermath of Colchester United’s defeat to Notts County.

The former Southend United defender felt he might have done better for at least one of the second-half goals his side conceded, in the 3-1 reverse.

Prosser was probably being a little harsh on himself, given his all-round performance was once again of a high standard.

The experienced centre-back has been excellent since returning from his nightmare 14-month injury lay-off and has shown how much he has been missed, in the time he has been out.

Prosser is one of a number of players who are out of contract at the Weston Homes Community Stadium this summer; the U’s would do well to prioritise extending his stay, for next season.

Playing for pride

With Colchester United now six points off the top seven with only three games remaining, their hopes of sneaking into the play-offs now look virtually over.

Nevertheless, John McGreal’s side can still have a big say in how the League Two promotion shake-up ends up.

Their next game is at Danny Cowley’s Lincoln City, who currently sit just outside the top seven on goal scored.

That is followed by the U’s final home game of the season against Swindon Town, who might well need to win in order to keep their play-off hopes alive.

And with a trip to play Exeter City – who might still have a chance of securing automatic promotion – on the final day, it looks like it could be an interesting climax to the campaign.

It’s just a shame that Colchester themselves are highly unlikely to have anything to play for other than pride and to finish as high as they possibly can.

The U’s finished eighth in League Two on 69 points, last season – they will do well to surpass that, this time around.

Community spirit

It proved to be a disappointing day yesterday, for Colchester United.

But at their game against Notts County, there was plenty of evidence of how the club are helping to make a difference off the field.

The Football in the Community day at the Weston Homes Community Stadium marked the organisation’s fifth anniversary, with schools, clubs, partners and participants in the Colchester area all represented.

The charity does a great deal and through the brand of Colchester United, serves the community so well through its wide range of programmes.