Club captain Luke Prosser answered his manager’s call for goals to come from other areas, in Saturday’s superb 2-1 win over then-leaders Luton Town, and the central defender is looking for more of the same at Forest Green Rovers this afternoon.

Prosser headed home his first goal in a Colchester United shirt, and his first goal for more than two years, to double the U’s lead against the Hatters after fellow centre-half Tom Eastman’s headed opener.

The U’s are now six points behind the play-offs, going into their last six matches of the season, so it remains a big ask to make a successful late dash for the top-seven.

But John McGreal’s men are in form, following back-to-back wins at Stevenage (1-0) and Luton, and are now gunning for a hat-trick of successes to mark their first-ever visit to The New Lawn.

“We were due a home display like that, and it was a fantastic victory,” enthused Prosser, with reference to the win over Luton.

“We are more than capable of doing that, and you’ve always got that little bit of a boost when you are playing top of the league.

“There was a good atmosphere and it was a well-deserved win.

“The goals were good. We can’t keep relying on (striker) Mikael (Mandron) to get the goals, and putting all the pressure on him.

“The gaffer (McGreal) had said we needed goals from other areas, so Easty (Eastman) popped up with the first and I managed to pop up with the second.

“It would have been nice to keep a clean-sheet, but Luton put us under pressure and threw the kitchen sink at us in the second half. But we held on.”

Looking ahead to today’s clash, and the remainder of the season, Prosser said: “We just have to take each game as it comes, after a good couple of results. We have momentum again, and we are not in a bad position, having some good form going into the run-in.

“Away from home, we have not been bad in the last few weeks, and we come into the Forest Green game on the back of a good win. We can’t wait to play again.”

Squads

FOREST GREEN ROVERS: Collins, Bennett, Gunning, Hollis, Winshart, Bray, Osbourne, Grubb, Collins, Campbell, Reid, Doidge, Laird, Brown, Simpson, Cooper, Celemts, Rawson & Belford.

COLCHESTER: Walker, Jackson, Eastman, Prosser, Vincent-Young, Stevenson, Comley, Wright, Szmodics, Senior, Mandron, Mandeville, Murray, Kent, Lapslie, Dickenson, Ogedi-Uzokwe, Shodipo, Inniss & Gilmartin.

Referee: Brett Huxtable (Devon)