COLCHESTER United have already shown plenty of consistency in their performances so far, this season.

But securing three successive wins in League Two tomorrow night would really confirm their credentials as genuine contenders for automatic promotion.

Little more than 72 hours after securing their first win north of Colchester for two and a half years, John McGreal’s side are back on the road again tomorrow hoping to follow up that victory at Morecambe with another three points.

A win at Grimsby Town could lift them as high as second in the table, if other results go their way, too.

But the game against an improving Mariners side will not be easy; they go into the game on the back of holding second-placed Exeter City to a draw and the seven points they have taken from a possible nine in their last three games represents an upturn in form for them, after a poor start to the season.

Nevertheless, if Colchester are to secure a top-three finish, they will need to beat sides in the bottom six on a regular basis.

Just take a look at the form of the sides currently residing in the automatic promotion places.

Leaders Lincoln City have claimed victory in five of their last seven games, Exeter are unbeaten in their last eight and MK Dons have just won four league matches in a row.

That is the kind of form Colchester also need to produce and they have shown plenty of signs that they are capable of doing that, both home and away.

They will get the chance to measure themselves against arguably the best side in the division this weekend, when Lincoln visit the JobServe Community Stadium.

There’s already plenty of anticipation ahead of that game and it looks like a decent crowd will be in attendance for the visit of Danny Cowley’s side.

But the U’s won’t allow that to distract them from the task in hand tomorrow night, under the lights at Blundell Park; they cannot afford to let that happen.

The last time Colchester recorded three straight league wins, it came in the tail end of last season to resurrect their play-off hopes.

If they beat Grimsby and achieve the same feat again this time around, it will provide genuine evidence that they are contenders for the automatic promotion places, rather than the top seven.