COLCHESTER United have received a letter of apology following their controversial defeat at Mansfield Town earlier this month.

The U's were left aggrieved after Lucas Akins' foul on skipper Tommy Smith in the box went unpunished, seconds before the Stags substitute netted their stoppage-time winner.

Colchester were left incensed that the goal was allowed to stand, resulting in them falling to a 2-1 defeat in the League Two clash at the One Call Stadium, on December 3.

The U's requested feedback on Akins' winner and now boss Matt Bloomfield has received a letter of apology.

It is the second such letter he has received since taking over as Colchester head coach, after officials also said sorry back in October for not awarding the visitors a free-kick in the lead-up to AFC Wimbledon's winner, in the U's 2-1 defeat at Plough Lane.

Bloomfield said: "This is my second letter from the referees apologising for decisions.

"That's two I've received now; one from AFC Wimbledon and one from Mansfield.

"That's obviously played a big part in those two results and you can't get away from that.

Gazette:

"It's frustrating but one thing I've learnt about life and football is that you just have to keep getting up and keep getting on.

"It doesn't matter how many times I get knocked down; I'll keep getting back up and keep moving forward.

"I really believe that performances have improved in my time here.

"I really believe that we've been in every game.

"It does get frustrating but I try and watch the game back on a Saturday evening or a Sunday with unemotional eyes, just to watch it for what is is, win, lose or draw.

"I think in many ways, we've done just as well in spells of the games we've lost as we have in the games we've won.

Gazette:

"There's small margins in so many games in League One, League Two and the Championship and you have to make sure those margins go for you.

"We don't want to be victims of bad decisions, we don't want to be victims of small margins going against us.

"We want to be winning and that's what we want to do but we have to make sure that we keep focusing on the process.

"We need an identity about ourselves and a culture and an environment that we're proud of.

"The results are just an outcome of your every day actions and that's what we have to stick to and that's what we're trying to do.

"But we don't want to be victims of bad decisions; we want to be winning and that's what we have to keep focusing on."

Gazette:

Colchester are preparing for their first home league game in four weeks, this weekend.

The U's host Salford City at the JobServe Community Stadium, looking to get back to winning ways after successive defeats.

"There's been many aspects of the last two games I've been really pleased with," added Bloomfield.

"Apart from the decision at the end of the Mansfield game, I thought we fully deserved a point there.

"Last Saturday (at Sutton) we made a lot of opportunities for ourselves without creating clearcut chances.

"We got into a lot of good areas and didn't make full use of them.

"In two games where there's been not a lot in it, we've come away with nothing where on another day, we could have picked up something from those games.

"But our home form has been good; we've really enjoyed playing at home since I've been in the building, so we're looking forward to the game at the weekend."

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