MATTY Etherington insists he can still turn Colchester United's stuttering season around despite seeing his side slump to another defeat.

The U's were beaten 5-3 at AFC Wimbledon to fall to a seventh defeat in their last eight games, a result that leaves them six points above the relegation zone.

Some Colchester fans made their feelings known both during and after the defeat at Plough Lane but U's boss Etherington still believes he can improve the club's fortunes, after they ended 2023 with another defeat.

Etherington said: "Yes I do (still think I can turn our form around).

READ MORE: Match report as Colchester are beaten at AFC Wimbledon

"The majority of the supporters don't seem to think so but I do.

"If I didn't, then I wouldn't be here.

"I've been a player and I wouldn't want a manager coming out and saying they've let me down; I think they've let themselves down.

"I told the players what I thought in terms of that second-half performance and they knew had bad it was compared to looking pretty good, in the first half.

"What will be will be with me but I think they've let themselves down and if they play like they did in the second half, it's going to be a long season.

"If they play like they did in the first half, they'll be absolutely fine.

"I think we're seeing signs of what we're trying to do, albeit I'd like to see signs for longer periods but what will be, will be."

Gazette:

Colchester went in level at 2-2 at half-time at AFC Wimbledon following an end to end first half, thanks to goals from Cameron McGeehan and Joe Taylor.

But the Dons were dominant after the break and scored three times to claim victory before Tom Dallison's stoppage-time strike, with the U's finishing the game with ten men after McGeehan was sent off in the closing stages.

Etherington said: "There was a huge contrast between the first half and second half performance.

"It was a fairly even game I thought in the first half but for some reason, we decided to come out in the second half and be really naïve in our first few moments.

READ MORE: AFC Wimbledon 5 Colchester United 3 - as it happened

"We gave away a corner and that kind of set the tone really for the second half.

"It was a really poor second half and there are no excuses for it.

"The players put a hell of a lot in to that first half and it's the way we wanted to play tonight, really on the front foot and maybe fatigue set in a little bit.

"It was poor decision making and I use the word again - naïve.

Gazette:

"We've got some really good young players in the team but they need to grow up at this level; the whole team do.

"We make naive decisions at times and we certainly did that in the second half.

"AFC Wimbledon created numerous chances and let's be honest, it could have been more.

"We struggled to carry the threat that we carried in the first half going the other way."