SO where do we go from here?

Back to back defeats is one thing and something to expect in football but it was the manner of the defeat at Port Vale that hurt the travelling Colchester United fans.

The players really did not reach the levels of expectations we want to see.

I know the management team will always be in the firing line but this time, the players need to have a long look in the mirror and evaluate what went wrong.

As Storm Dennis swept in across the country, the travelling U’s fans were quietly checking that the trip to see us play Vale Park would not have to be aborted, halfway up.

Little did we realise at that point that a postponement would have been a godsend and had saved us from what was to follow.

The rain and wind got heavier as we got closer, but on arrival we had a short spell where even the sun came out.

Was this a good omen? Unfortunately not and really did turn out to be the calm before what was unfortunately a destructive 90 minutes.

Vale assumed the role of the storm, Colchester the part of a poorly-constructed house that was blown away without much fight.

A week, seven days or 168 hours; however you want to define it, that was the period between what was by far the best we have played in a long time against Plymouth to the drumming at Vale.

I try hard to find positives but even I found it hard to really shed any good light on the performance.

We were second to every ball, showed little fight and were unable to string simple passes together.

We looked like a team who had never played together before and the basic errors were evident all over the pitch.

We can't even blame the weather or the pitch as Vale played some decent football and in fairness, the surface was in decent nick considering the recent weather.

We have Salford City this coming Saturday, at what will be a new ground for most of the fans so hopefully there will be a decent turnout to get behind the team.

We have 12 games left - that is 36 points on offer.

We are seventh and in the last play-off space, even after last weekend.

So now hopefully John McGreal and Steve Ball will get their heads together, look at who needs to be dropped and maybe a change of formation; whatever happens, it is a fair bet there will be changes.

I know the last seven days have been bad to put it mildly but in a few days' time, we will hopefully be able to talk more positively about the Salford game and the result up there.

As the saying goes, a week is along time in football.

Let's get up to Greater Manchester, make some noise and get back to the good side of a match result with a win. See you there.

Colchester United season-ticket holder Si Collinson