Ryan Jackson insists that his Colchester United team-mates are ‘winners,’ despite the disappointment of last Saturday’s 4-0 trouncing at Carlisle United.
The ambitious U’s, who visit second-placed MK Dons tomorrow in a top-three League Two clash, have only lost six of their first 22 league matches, and each time they have lost, they have bounced back with a good result in their very next fixture.
Jackson is convinced that the U’s can repeat the dose in Milton Keynes tomorrow, by once again avoiding back-to-back league defeats.
“We don’t want what happened last weekend (at Carlisle) to happen again,” explained Jackson, following yesterday’s training session at Florence Park, Tiptree.
“We have just tried to address the issues and will try to move on.
“We have managed to always bounce back in the past. No one wants to lose, but the important thing is always how you bounce back, and learn from the experience.
“We are winners – but we don’t get too disheartened if we do lose a match, we just have to make sure that we go again.
“It’s the half-way point in the season this weekend. We all have our own aims and targets, and we are still on course.
“We know that we are a target in this division now, because we are in a good position (third). Everyone is gunning for us at the moment, we sense that.
“The game-plans of other teams are to nullify our threats, because we are a big team with our good counter-attacking.
“Everyone is giving us respect, and you earn that respect over time,” added Jackson.
The U’s previous five league losses were all followed by a good response.
A 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Northampton, at the end of August, was followed by a 3-1 win at Cheltenham, and another 2-1 home reverse to Bury was quickly forgotten by a 3-1 success over Yeovil Town.
Likewise, a 3-1 loss at Stevenage in early October was followed by a 3-1 home win over Crawley, and a 1-0 defeat at Grimsby was rectified four days later by a 1-0 win over leaders Lincoln City.
Finally, a 2-0 defeat at Newport County, a month ago, led to a good 1-1 home draw against Exeter City the following weekend, and then a midweek triumph at Forest Green Rovers.
Tomorrow’s hosts, MK Dons, were top of the table going into last weekend’s round of matches.
However, their match at Newport was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, allowing Lincoln to leapfrog them thanks to a 3-1 home win over Morecambe.
“This weekend should be a great game,” explained Jackson, who is currently enjoying his second season with the U’s following his switch from Gillingham.
“It’s a good ground, a good pitch, against a good team, so what’s not to like about it?
“I’m not surprised that MK Dons are up there, because they have good players and have been consistent.
“I quite like the Christmas period, because the games come thick and fast and it’s a chance to pick up points very quickly.
“It’s our job, so that’s the main thing for us over Christmas, to try and get a few wins. We will be in for training on Christmas Day, preparing for the Boxing Day match,” added Jackson, with reference to the home fixture against Stevenage on December 26.
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