COLCHESTER United boss Paul Lambert chose to stress the positives after a pulsating 3-3 draw at Southend, even though his side leaked a last gasp equaliser.

Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United boss Paul Lambert chose to stress the positives after a pulsating 3-3 draw at Southend, even though his side leaked a last gasp equaliser.

“The lads were brilliant. This is a game that they would probably have lost a few weeks ago, after conceding two early goals,” explained Lambert.

“But we got right back into it, after losing those two goals, and I thought we were excellent in the second half. It was a big performance from the players in a big game.

“I'm absolutely gutted that we couldn't hold on for the win, but you have to take the positives. There's two ways of looking at this game, and I chose to highlight the way we came back and the way we played.

“It's a game that we could have lost by five or six goals, but the character in the team was excellent. The work-rate was great, as was the ability. I'm really pleased with all of that. We are scoring lots of goals,” added Lambert.

Southend boss Steve Tilson said: “We did not quite get it together in the second half, but you have to give Colchester credit for that because they put us under a lot of pressure.

“But I thought we showed great commitment and desire. And we played right to the end. I thought a draw was just about the fair result.”