SKIPPER Harry Pell admits Colchester United must show consistency if they are to achieve success, this season.

The U’s head into their home clash with Leyton Orient tomorrow knowing a win could lift them into League Two’s play-off place.

Colchester have won three of their last four league matches but were dumped out of the FA Cup by non-league Marine, last weekend.

And Pell believes every player in the U’s squad should be striving for improvement.

Pell said: “I think everyone will agree that we’ve got a great squad with great players, and great flair.

“But we need to do it more on a consistent basis and that’s something that’s going to be drummed into us.

“It’s something that we need to drag from within ourselves and we need to put a run together where we’re consistently winning games of football and that starts on Saturday.

“I want to be part of a winning team and a winning culture.

“What we need more now than ever is that consistency from the whole group.

“I’m happy with my form but can I be better? Yes and I think that’s what every individual has to strive for.

“If the young players want to get to the high levels that they want to reach, they’re going to need consistency that the likes of Szmods, Frankie Kent, Kane (Vincent-Young) – they were consistent at a young age.

“Age is nothing to do with it, if I’m being honest.

“We need these boys to stand up and be counted along with the experienced boys as well.

“Along with the consistency, that’s the only you’re going to get to where we want to be.”

Pell scored Colchester’s equaliser in their painful FA Cup first-round defeat against Marine.

But the 29-year-old still ended up on the losing side, as the U’s crashed out on penalties.

Colchester bounced back in midweek with a 6-1 thrashing of Southend United in the Papa John’s Trophy – but Pell insists they need another reaction tomorrow.

“There’s been a lot said about the Marine game and we know that we were nowhere near good enough by our standards,” said Pell.

“The players massively let themselves down but to react like that on Tuesday (against Southend) was very good.

“We owed the fans something, we owed ourselves something, we owed the chairman something, we owed the staff something.

“When we went out last Saturday, we were completely prepped the same as any other game.

“Is the Marine defeat out of our system? I’ll probably say no.

“It was a great reaction on Tuesday but nowhere near enough, for that to happen.

“The reaction needs to be taken into Saturday as well - we need to turn up and do the business.

“You take that feeling forward and I definitely don’t want that again – it wasn’t a good feeling at all.

“Can we do anything about it now? No and hindsight is a beautiful thing.

“But when your back is against the wall, you always have to come out fighting and that’s what we did on Tuesday.

“It’s the bread and butter on Saturday and we need to win the game.”

Colchester face a Leyton Orient side who lie just a point behind them in the table, having played a game more than their hosts.

Pell added: “We’re looking upwards rather than downwards and we need to get back in those play-off positions and look up from there.

“It will definitely not be easy, on Saturday.

“They are a better team than they were, last year.

“I think they’re a good team and they’ve got some good characters.

“It definitely won’t be easy but we need to come out fighting.

“It’s a massive game for both teams and it’s a really good game to look forward to.”