Colchester United season-ticket holder Si Collinson's views on the U's

AFTER the highs of the cup victory against Spurs, it was straight back to business and the away trip to Macclesfield.

It was never going to live up to the hype of the penalty shoot-out under the lights at home and true to form it was a wet and wind day up North that awaited the U's.

I will admit that due to an FA coaching course I missed the game - always a strange feeling knowing Colchester are playing and I'm doing something else.

I managed to catch the second half on the radio and it didn't sound the best of games.

I'm reliably informed by my pals Aaron and Nick that the commentary was spot on and it was scrappy; although the U's picked it up for the second 45, a point was a fair reflection.

So now the question that arises is how can we hold a team of Champions League Final standard - albeit without the likes of Harry Kane missing but still a multi-million pound team with plenty of international players nevertheless - to a 0-0 draw, yet concede to Macclesfield?

Yes, we set up defensively to hold Spurs and it worked - 25 per cent possession to their 75 per cent and they still did not score.

But I think it's deeper than that and there is strong psychological difference.

Playing Tottenham was a one off, the ground was full and the lads knew it was their time to shine and really make a name for Colchester this season.

So the level get upped and we play better. I have argued for a while that we play better against better sides.

It's like we can play our football against them but poorer sides seem to drag us down.

I know that this is often the case in football but I think/hope/pray that if we can just break free from League Two, we'll be able to hold our own in League One.

Players want to come to our club, the squad harmony is there of all to see.

For once his season, there's strength on the bench with players who can make a difference, so now the time is right.

If the football gods are kind and we carry on like we are after a blip at the start of the season, then hopefully this year we make it out of this quicksand of a division and show we are good enough to kick on.

Crawley seems to be the place for Colchester fans, this month.

A visit there for not only a league game but also the next round of the EFL Cup.

I still can't believe that the club are just 90 minutes (plus penalties no doubt) away from a cup quarter-final.

It's a great place to be and no reason why the run will not carry on.

That said, if we were only to win one of the visits, personally and no doubt unpopular, I would take the three points.

As Dean Gerken said in his recent radio interview ...."we have a league to win".... and points do mean prizes, even at the expense of a possible away tie against a top Premier League side or Manchester United (which would be easier).

Fingers crossed it's not a case of only winning one and we complete the Crawley double in fine fashion.

Before any of that we have Stevenage at home this weekend and the return of our old friend Mr Guthrie.

One thing on that - in recent games quite rightly the U's fans have giving him a fair amount of stick but he's the sort of player who feeds off that.

I'd personally just ignore him and act as if he wasn't even on the pitch.

This will throw him and his game preparation right off balance.

Hopefully there'll be a decent turnout and a good game to match.

I can't wait to be back in the crowd and enjoy a strong home win.