WITH the January window closed and all the business done, we were finally able to take stock of the squad we will have to see out the remainder of the season and all told, it is looking strong.
There were a few surprises such as Frank Nouble being sent out on loan but all in all, we are in a good place.
All eyes turned to the next fixture after a draw against Rochdale, a game that we came away from disappointed that we conceded a sloppy goal to give up all three points after what was a strong performance, especially in the earlier stages.
The weekend saw the U’s take the short trip down the A12 to Layton Orient in a match that was eagerly anticipated by the 900-plus travelling fans who packed out the away section and created an atmosphere that was simply buzzing.
From the warm-up to the celebrations after the final whistle, the U’s faithful were in fine voice and backed the team from the word go.
We came out of the traps strong and hit the hosts hard and this was rewarded with an early goal by Freddie Sears to take him to double figures in the league this season and Colchester into a 1-0 lead.
Normally this season that would have seen us shut up shop and try to defend this lead followed by the inevitable of conceding a goal and then a second late on in the match to throw it all away, but not under the new management team.
We simply carried on playing our game, kept the tempo up and even with the forced changes cause by injury to Dallison in the warm-up and Skuse going off in the first half after another combatant display saw his afternoon ended with a bandaged head, after a collision.
All this did not change the system or style and it is testament to the work Wayne and Joe put in on the training ground that everyone knows their roles and can step in at anytime.
I know the idea of a professional player stepping in at anytime should not be something to talk about and they are at the level where it should be second nature to come on and play.
But it has not been that simple up until now. We have had games where the players looked like they had never met each other before, let alone played together.
There seemed no plan and the basics were not there. It is apparent that while Brown may not have made radical changes, he has stripped it all back and returned to the ideas of doing the basics well and the rest will follow.
The players have bought into it and seem to be rejuvenated under this reset. They look the players we knew they could and should be.
There is an air of going about their work with enjoyment and trust in the system, with belief in themselves.
Football is a simple game, that sometimes gets over complicated for no reason.
Once this happens it can be hard to understand what is expected and going on, this then leads to all manor of issues. Keep it simple stupid and the slowly build.
This seems to be what is happening at Colchester right now and let's hope it can be built into something exciting.
Before I get too carried away and have us up in the play-offs, I do think we have shown in the last four games that we will not go down.
Eight points from 12 is better than anyone really hoped for and Wayne Brown has learnt hard lessons from last season, it seems.
In my view, keep everything as it is until the summer and then see where Robbie goes with the permanent manager position.
For some reason when interim managers get the job full-time, it seems to derail the train and results drop off, something we can't afford to let happen.
I’m all for the current set-up but let's wait until the dust has settled on this season to change anything.
Right now the club is on the up and players and fans are enjoying football again - let's keep it that way. Up the U’s.
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