JOHNNIE Jackson has admitted that “things need to be addressed” after Colchester United again failed to hold onto a lead at Cardiff on Saturday.Jackson was in no mood for celebrating his third goal of the season, because his 44th minute strike was cancelled out by four unanswered goals from the Bluebirds in a nightmarish second-half.

By Carl Marston

JOHNNIE Jackson has admitted that “things need to be addressed” after Colchester United again failed to hold onto a lead at Cardiff on Saturday.

Jackson was in no mood for celebrating his third goal of the season, because his 44th minute strike was cancelled out by four unanswered goals from the Bluebirds in a nightmarish second-half.

“It's very disappointing. It's not a nice feeling at all,” confessed Jackson.

“We didn't deserve to be in the lead at half-time, but we were confident that we could close out the game in the second-half and get an important away win. Yet a few minutes later and they had scored!

“There's something seriously wrong, if we can't hold onto leads. It can't keep happening and things need to be addressed.

“When you're 1-0 up away from home, you have to be mentally strong to close the game out. It's a collective thing. We're a team who all take the credit when we're winning, and all take a fall when we're losing.

“That's especially the case now. We need to get out of this situation together, and take on responsibility as a team to resolve our problems.

“But this is the first time that we have come off the pitch after being well beaten. We never looked like getting back into the game in the second-half. We were beaten out of sight,” added Jackson.

In fact, this was only the second time that the U's had been beaten by more than a one-goal margin this campaign - they conceded three goals in the final quarter of the game to lose 3-1 at Ipswich in October.

Jackson continued: “We have usually just lost by one goal, or have at least been in the game late on. But we were well beaten long before the end this time.

“Cardiff were struggling for results. They were one-down, and the crowd would probably have started to get on their backs if we had managed to keep them out for the first 10 minutes of the second-half.

“But within 15 minutes of the second-half we were already out of the game! Of course I'm pleased with my goal, but once again our keeper (Dean Gerken) was probably our best player, which tells a tale. We mustn't hide from the bigger picture,

“The last thing we must do is to dwell on this defeat. We must address it and look to put it right. We have to stay positive.

“The team spirit is still good, although it may not have looked like it today with the way that we folded,” added Jackson.