Anxious Colchester United boss Steve Whitton is ready to get back to basics as he bids to keep the U's out of relegation trouble.

"The defenders have got to defend properly and the midfielders have got to win and pass the ball better," he said after watching his team snatch a 3-2 defeat from the jaws of victory at Luton Town.

It was the second time in four matches the U's had hit back from a goal down to be leading 2-1 only to throw it all away in the latter stages by conceding two goals.

They also lost 3-2 in similar fashion after being in front at Cardiff 15 days earlier.

Although the U's are still ten points clear of the relegation battle with only six games to play, the Layer Road nerves are obviously jangling.

And Whitton insisted today: "There's no way I will say we or any other club is to good to go down. We will lose every game if we play like that again.

"Luton didn't beat us, we lost it ourselves. We threw it away. I'm very annoyed and I hope my players are kicking themselves.

"At 2-1 up Luton were struggling in front of their own fans, but we lost our shape and we lost our discipline and too many of my players were off form on the day.

"Some of our tackling and attention to Luton's runners was under par and we've got to make sure we change all that.

"It was Cardiff all over again. We don't appear able to kill teams off."

Although very happy with the way Steve McGavin and Tony Lock took their goals, Whitton was less than happy with the way the U's defence conceded the Hatters three goals.

He said: "I though Locky did very well for us up front again and he had a hand in both of our goals. But the boys at the back have got to tighten up and I don't know why we tried to play offside when they scored their winning goal.

"We don't play offsides at this club. Goals always give a team a lift, whoever they are, and from having Luton beaten deep into the second half we let them right back into the game."

Micky Cook's U's youth team lost 4-0 to Walsall at Layer Road in their latest Alliance League outing on Saturday.

It was disappointing for Cook and his boys as they had already seen off Walsall in the FA Youth Cup.

Whitton urges on his players

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