COLCHESTER United head coach Steve Ball admits he understands the fans’ frustrations after his side’s winless run.

The U’s have now gone seven matches without a victory in League Two, following their 3-0 defeat at Morecambe.

Colchester now lie 15th and seven points off the play-off places having not won since December 8, prompting some supporters to vent their anger.

Ball says he shares their frustration but has urged U’s fans to ‘keep the faith and stay positive’.

Ball said: “The fans are frustrated and so am I.

“But I’d say any fan who watched that first-half performance will have seen a fluid, attacking team that looked confident, that had a game plan, who looked organised and were getting in at will.

“We hit the woodwork twice and we were by far the better side but obviously then, it changed with the goal and the sending off, and then the second goal.

“They’re the bits at the minute that are going against us but all I can say to the fans is ‘keep the faith and keep positive’.

“We’ve got loads of games coming up.

“We need to get that win and we have another chance to do that on Tuesday night against Stevenage – let’s hope we go there and get a win.

“We have to be positive and we have to kick on.”

Colchester had been the better side in the first half at Morecambe and had twice hit the woodwork through Callum Harriott and Tommy Smith, prior to on-loan Burnley striker Adam Phillips giving the hosts the lead on the stroke of half-time.

Toumani Diagouraga doubled the Shrimps’ advantage after the break and U’s skipper Harry Pell was sent off for violent conduct soon after, before John O’Sullivan wrapped up the hosts’ win towards the end.

“The whole group is positive about where we can end up, this season,” added Ball.

“We had picked up points in our two previous games against Cheltenham and Cambridge – two really tough games in this division against good sides.

“I thought we were absolutely on target for three points at Morecambe who again are a team who have been up there this season and have been scoring lots of goals.

“We want to get that first win again back on board and we want to try and do that on Tuesday night.

“I understand there’ll be frustration and that there’ll be some anger out there.

“But anybody who watched that (Morecambe) match cannot tell me that we’re not a good side that absolutely tore them apart at times, in the first half and should have gone in at half-time comfortably ahead.”