COLCHESTER United head coach John McGreal has hailed the quality of on-song Tarique Fosu.

The Reading loanee has risen to prominence in recent weeks and was man-of-the-match in Saturday’s 4-0 romp against Stevenage.

McGreal described him as a “constant handful” in that match and hopes he continues his strong form in the closing weeks of the season.

“Taz is a hell of a talent,” said the delighted U’s boss, whose side are two points outside the League Two play-offs heading into Friday’s showdown at home to already-promoted leaders Doncaster Rovers.

“He’s been giving us 60 minutes or 30 minutes in matches and then tends to fade away.

“He was outstanding a few weeks ago at Grimsby but didn’t tend to back it up.

“But for the full 90 minutes against Stevenage, he was terrific.

“He was a constant handful. We gave him a separate challenge and he’s done it to the letter of the law.

“He could have come away with a goal himself.

“Tarique is a quality player and it’s just a case of getting the best out of him.

“He played against an experienced player in Charlie Lee and I thought he did it really well.

“He was a constant threat but he also did his defensive work as well, when needed.”

Colchester have five matches left, starting with the visit of Doncaster on Good Friday.

They also have a home game against second-placed Plymouth Argyle on April 22.

“We have a nice game against Doncaster at home on Friday,” added McGreal.

“I’m sure they’ll bring a load down, knowing they’ve just gone up, so it’s a great game for ourselves and our fans to look forward to.

“We’re limited with the numbers we’ve got and we’re trying to rest and recover in different ways.

“But we’re also trying to put in different mindsets.

“I’m learning as much as the boys are learning and to be fair, they’ve been terrific.

“It just so happens that in the last few home games, we’ve been playing all of the top of the table teams here.

“We’ve been waiting for these big games to come to the Weston Homes and we have them now, where we’ve got something to play for.

“We’ve kept ourselves in it despite the injuries and what’s gone on throughout the season and the boys are doing us proud.”

McGreal also had words of praise for captain Chris Porter, who has scored four goals in three games and grabbed his 100th English league goal against Stevenage.

“Chris is in buoyant mood,” said McGreal.

“I think that’s four goals in three games for him now and we need him to keep running.

“We’ve challenged the players to get on the scoresheet, so to come away with four goals is terrific.”