COLCHESTER United head coach John McGreal has revealed the bizarre reason Luke Norris missed their final game at Lincoln City.

The striker was not among the substitutes for the U’s game against the newly-crowned champions, which they won 3-0 to finish eighth in League Two.

Norris was at Sincil Bank for Colchester’s victory, which proved not enough to clinch them a play-off spot following Newport County’s 1-1 draw at Morecambe.

But the luckless former Swindon Town striker was unable to be involved on the day because of an unfortunate injury.

McGreal said: “It was a real strange one.

“He tripped on a kerb and his ankle blew up.

“It was literally as we were getting onto the bus.

“He’s not had any luck and had we been in the play-offs, he’d have struggled to make them.”

Meanwhile, boss McGreal said he brought Mikael Mandron back into the side for the game at Lincoln to give them extra physicality.

The French striker came back into the U’s starting line-up in place of Abo Eisa, who was on the bench.

McGreal added: “Mika brings something physical and it was about occupying full-backs and then also hurting them in the channel areas.

“Mika became the second forward and he also attracted the full-back for channels to open up.

“They launch it in with set pieces and you need to be a man and stand up and be counted in there.

“We’re a small team but we wanted to get that extra bit of height and physicality in to give us an edge and it proved the case.”