STILL weary after the late night at Forest Green but still buzzing after one of the strongest performances on the road I’ve seen for while. The U’s needed an away win again and they worked very hard for it.

Please don’t think it was a smash and grab, backs to the wall game for the U’s.

Sammie Szmodics' goal in the bag, we then controlled the game perfectly to the finish. Forest Green may have had the possession in the second half but they did little with it as the U’s busted a gut to deny them any sort of access to our penalty area.

In fact, with a bit more luck on the counter attack, Frank Kent and Sammie would have made the score line even sweeter.

The same way that we made it hard on Tuesday, Exeter did exactly the same to us last Saturday.

The U’s are a threat this season and every team heading to the CO post code will be playing hard ball from now on.

Even Sol Campbell’s lowly Macclesfield, our next home opponents, will be difficult. It’s great to have that level of respect but the U’s will probably have to be a degree cleverer overcoming it.

But for the Exeter keeper, the three points would have been ours last Saturday. I thought we played really well.

Minor points - maybe one or two substitutions could have been made earlier and Frank Nouble could have used better judgement with the foul that lead to the bundled equaliser.

It kind of played into their hands by gifting a set piece for them to flood the box.

Small things but overall for me it has been a week of highlights. The U’s look back to form after their cup relapse and now look very good for their third place.

Sammie is banging the goals in again and his work-rate last Saturday was outstanding.

One of several former youths excelling this season and in particular, I would like to single out Frankie Kent for special praise this week.

Like several of you I watched him play as a U’s teenager. Not the biggest or perhaps the strongest, and some may have felt that a few meat pies would make him a proper centre-half.

Proper in terms of a real bruiser, a cruncher. That was never going to be Frankie’s way. He has developed, with the U’s guidance, into one of the best defenders I think the club have ever had in my lifetime.

Utterly fearless, totally composed and a mature reader of the game.

If he’s not being watched by “big” clubs then I’ll eat my U’s bobble hat.

League debut teenager and local lad Ollie Kensdale could easily follow the path of Frankie over the coming seasons and I really hope he does.

The next one off the U’s production line could do far worse than learn his trade alongside Messrs Kent, Eastman and Prosser.

The future is bright and hopefully the more immediate future, promotion next May, will be even brighter.

Enjoy some local non league footy tomorrow and then please come along next Saturday to support the U’s against Sol’s lads.

Jon Burns, Colchester United Supporters Association chairman