I saw for myself what you guys have been watching for most of the season. Colchester are an average side, but they were unlucky not to be 2-0 up early on after a mix up allowed their forward to lob Joe and just miss the goal. Then the foul in the penalty area which was given outside. Gradually, we got into the game and dominated from the half-hour mark until the end of normal time. Wave after wave of attacks came towards the SWA in the North Stand, but either the final ball or the finish was lacking. As we got more confident/desperate, we took risks and allowed Colchester to break away a couple of times. It was always possible they would get lucky.
By the time the goal was scored, I was already fed up. I was already resigned to losing two points, so the defeat only made matters a little worse. The worst thing about the defeat is not the loss of the third point, but the damage it must have done to the team's already fragile confidence. At least it wasn't against one of our promotion rivals.
In trying to work out what is wrong, I agree with RLC. I thought both sides were playing with a lack of confidence, particularly in the first half. I thought all the lads put in a shift. I want to give a special mention to Chris Merrie, who has come back in from the cold and played with confidence and control, tackling and passing well. I agree about Hemmings, who looked lost. He is not a number ten and should have been up front or not playing at all.
In summary, I saw a lot of talent on display and some clever play, but I was not convinced we were ever going to win. We need a massive change of mindset to get the campaign back on track. We are no longer keeping clean sheets, we have started to concede a lot of late goals and we are more likely to score when we are behind. As things stand, even if we scrape into the play-offs, what chance will we have against teams in form?