Promotion hero Kevin Watson says it is no coincidence that Colchester United are enjoying an impressive run of form now that they have a settled side.

Colchester named the same starting line-up for the fifth successive game when they beat Luton Town 1-0, on Boxing Day.

It is the first time that has happened since the U’s first-ever season in the second tier in 2006-07, where Watson was a midfield lynchpin as the club achieved their highest-ever league finish.

Colchester have embarked on a five-match unbeaten run and sit just four points off the play-off positions, after claiming 13 points from a possible 15.

And former playmaker Watson, who helped the U’s to a historic promotion from League One in 2006, says continuity is vital if they are to achieve success.

Watson told the Daily Gazette: “It’s of paramount importance to have a settled side.

“If you look at all of the good teams, they use the fewest number of players in any given season.

“You could reel off the starting line-up of the Arsenal invincibles every week or the Liverpool team of the 1980s with the likes of Ian Rush, John Barnes and Kenny Dalglish.

“It’s very important, because you get used to the players that you’re playing with and it’s no surprise or coincidence that a consistent team is having a good run.

“When you look at our team at Colchester in the first Championship season, there were partnerships all over the field and they were the same all through the season.

“There was Jamie Cureton and Chris Iwelumo up front, Pat Baldwin and Wayne Brown at the back, Karl Duguid was always in the starting line-up and was someone who was a jack of all trades and extremely versatile and then there was myself and Kem Izzet.

“We had a great understanding – he did all of my running and I did all of the passing!

“We both understood what each other was doing and that’s why it worked so well and we all had a real closeness as a group.

“As a team, we got to the stage where if we conceded first, we felt it didn’t matter – it was a setback but we knew that we could come back from it because we’d done so before.”

Colchester moved into the top ten positions in League Two, only weeks after they had been languishing in the bottom two following a ten-match winless league run.

“I knew that when Colchester were having a shaky run, they were missing some of their top quality players and that’s no certainly disrespect to the players who were playing before,” said Watson, who missed only six games during the U’s first Championship season.

“Now those players are back and everything is rosy and it’s very important to have your best players available at any club.

“I’ve only seen Colchester a couple of times so far this season because of work.

“I thought that they were tremendous when I saw them play Cambridge United on the second weekend of the season.

“I know Shaun Derry - he’s done really well at Cambridge and they’ve picked up since then which is great but Colchester were excellent that day.

“I sat next to Robbie Cowling that day and I remember saying to him that they have a chance.

“You have to keep all of your players fit and I hope that John (McGreal) can do that in the next few months.

“There are some good players at the club who are proper football players.”

Colchester are next in action on New Year’s Eve when they travel to play Stevenage, with whom Watson spent nine months working as assistant manager to Teddy Sheringham last season.

Watson also worked alongside current Boro’ boss Darren Sarll as part of the first-team coaching set-up at Broadhall Way and expects the U’s to encounter a tough challenge, this weekend.

“Stevenage will be up and at Colchester on Saturday,” said the former Spurs midfielder.

“It’s quite a small pitch there but although Stevenage’s away form has been very good this season, their home form hasn’t been great.

“Sarlly will be 4-4-2 and his team will always fight – he won’t have it any other way and that’s what he wants all of the time from his team.

“I’m sure Stevenage will be up and at them and it will be a tough game for Colchester, because of how Sarlly works.

“But Colchester have hit their straps and are a team in form at the moment, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens.”

Watson is currently looking for his next coaching role having last month left National League club Eastleigh, where he had been number two to Ronnie Moore.

Watson added: “I’m sitting and waiting at the moment.

“Football is a very funny business and I’m still not sure quite what happened – I don’t know why Ronnie left his post because we were going so well.

“We were eighth in the table and eight points off and we had deservedly knocked Swindon Town out of the FA Cup.

“That result certainly didn’t flatter us but then you suddenly find yourself out of a job, only a few weeks later.

“Sometimes people want to change things at the top – we didn’t leave under a cloud, we left when we were going along very well.

“I hope that something will come along soon and I can get back in.”