Colchester United striker John Akinde can play his part

That's the view of interim head coach Wayne Brown, despite the experienced striker's lack of starts for the U's since joining them in January.

Akinde has proved effective coming off the bench for Colchester over recent games and has come on as a substitute in each of their last four matches.

The 32-year-old, who had a spell out with Covid last month, has started only three times for the U's since joining them from Gillingham.

Nevertheless, boss Brown says the former Barnet and Lincoln City striker can play a big role for them in their League Two survival bid.

Brown said: “We don’t have to go direct into John all the time but he does give you an outlet.

"It gives the opposition a totally different challenge to that a Searsy (Freddie Sears) will, an O (Owura Edwards) will, a Ty (Tyreik Wright) will, a Corie (Andrews) will.

“So he’s quite unique and to have John in our ranks now where we can call upon him and make a big difference to the team is vital.

“People might be scratching their heads thinking we’ve brought a player in from Gillingham and he’s not starting games.

"But he’s just as important doing what he did (at Scunthorpe) as he is starting games.

“The squad’s going to be needed between now and the end of the season.

"It’s about how we get the best out of individuals and how we get the best out of the squad to achieve our aim, come May 7."

Colchester are preparing for their Game for Ukraine on Monday night, which sees them host League Two leaders Forest Green Rovers.

The U's head into the match at the JobServe Community Stadium eight points above the relegation zone, with nine matches remaining.

They were beaten 1-0 at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night but boss Brown (pictured above) says they have made strides, over recent weeks.

“The group are in a good place," said Brown.

“We’ve had back-to-back wins for the first time in a while, we’ve had eight points in our last four games before this game and we’ve got to take positives out of the Bristol Rovers game.

“There was plenty to take; the amount of chances we created but more importantly, to nullify a good team like Bristol Rovers was the order of the day and they went out and did that.

“I said to the lads ‘don’t lose sight of how far we’ve come’.

“We’ve come to Bristol Rovers and we’re disappointed that we haven’t got a point and haven’t taken anything away.

“I’m sure if that were the case ten or 12 games ago, it would be a different feeling in the changing room."

Colchester are aiming to raise £100,000 for Ukrainian refugees evacuating their country by selling every seat in their stadium for the discounted £10 admission fee, against Forest Green.

They will also covering all costs and all of the money raised via ticket sales and the Col U Game For Ukraine JustGiving page will go to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, via the British Red Cross.

For more information on a Game for Ukraine, click here