CONNOR Hall says Colchester United’s players are enjoying working under new boss Ben Garner.

And the U’s defender is more than confident they can embrace his style of play and move up the League Two table.

Colchester halted a four-match losing run when they battled back to draw 2-2 at leaders Leyton Orient, last weekend.

The U’s lie five points above the relegation zone and now face back-to-back home games against mid-table sides Tranmere Rovers and Newport County.

Hall, 29, says the U’s squad are embracing life under new boss Garner.

Hall said: “It’s been really enjoyable – all of the lads can say the same thing, as well.

“We can definitely play the way he wants us to play.

Gazette:

“It’s just about getting that period of time and continuing to work on everything which we have done over the last two weeks.

“It’s been relentless but with results like the one at Leyton Orient, it’s worth it and gives us momentum.

“I think we’ve played the teams now who are right up there.

“We’ve got past that stage now and it’s now about beating the teams in and around us.


READ MORE: Connor Hall named in Team of the Week


“Reflecting on previous games, we’re more than good enough to go out and give a great performance and get three points.”

Colchester looked like they were heading for a fifth successive defeat when they fell 2-0 down to Orient.

But Hall gave the U’s hope with an 89th-minute header, before Noah Chilvers’ stunning strike rescued them a point in stoppage-time.

“It was a dramatic finish but I think we deserved it,” said Hall, who was named in both the Sky Bet EFL Team of the Week and League Two Team of the Week for his performance at Orient.

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“I thought we played really well at times in that game and played some really good stuff.

“I don’t think we should have been 2-0 down but we showed a never-say-die attitude and that’s what we’ve got to have now, until the end of the season.

“We’ve worked really hard on the training ground over the last two weeks and it’s showing out on the pitch.

“It’s about fine tuning little things in between both boxes but we got our two goals and we managed to draw the game, which is obviously a positive.”


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Hall grabbed his first Colchester goal at Orient, nodding in at the near post from Matt Jay’s corner.

Hall said: “You’ve got to make runs in the box.

“You’ve got to beat your man and luckily, I managed to do that.

“MJ placed it perfectly for me and I’ve managed to loop it in the back post and get us back in the game.

“I didn’t really know if it had gone in, to be honest.

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“I turned away thinking that it hadn’t gone in and there were a few cheers and I thought that was their fans because I’d missed and then I saw the ball come back towards me because it had gone in the goal and hit the net and it was a great feeling to have got us back into the game.”

Hall made a vital contribution at the other end minutes later, making a goal-line clearance to head away Aaron Drinan’s effort deep into stoppage time.

“That’s what you’re paid to do – you’ve got to keep the ball out of your net,” added Hall, whose goal against Orient was his first since he scored Port Vale’s winner in their 2-1 victory over Fleetwood Town, on the opening day of the League One season.


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“If I think the ball’s going over my head, I like to get back on the line to give the keeper one side to deal with and I can deal with the other side.

“That’s exactly what happened; I was the other side and I managed to get it over the bar.

“If you score, you’ve got to be on it again and switched on and it was a key moment.

“Sometimes a goal-line clearance can be better than scoring a goal.”