A FURIOUS Jim Magilton called last night's defeat against Colchester United "unacceptable" and hailed Colchester as worthy winners. He said: "I have had a few words in the dressing room and that will stay in there."

By Derek Davis

A FURIOUS Jim Magilton called last night's defeat against Colchester United “unacceptable” and hailed Colchester as worthy winners.

He said: “I have had a few words in the dressing room and that will stay in there.

“Collectively we were not good enough - in fact it was an unacceptable performance.

“I will not put up with that and there will be changes.”

Magilton accepted that his side were second-best after the U's got on top early on and stayed there.

He said: “Colchester started the game very brightly and in a derby game you have to win the battle. We didn't - we were second-best and that was disappointing for us.

“After taking the fight to Sunderland and Birmingham we didn't against Colchester and I can't explain that.

“The players looked lively all week but didn't get started. Colchester didn't allow us a foothold in the game and you have to take your hats off to the Colchester players and the manager.

“He knew that if we got into a rhythm we could hurt them but he never allowed us to get into one.”

Magilton last night had not seen a replay of Jon Macken's disallowed goal but said while he would have happily taken the draw, it would not have been deserved. He said: “I would have taken the goal and the point but if I had been George [U's boss Geraint Williams] I would have been disappointed. They deserved to win and I have no complaints about the result whatsoever.”

Magilton is now looking for a reaction and the Blues players will not have a comfortable couple of weeks before the West Brom match.

He said: “We have been great so it is disappointing after the standards we set and we have fallen well below them.

“We have a tough October coming up and I expect a reaction.

“The players have to dwell on it too and they have to take responsibility.”

U's skipper Karl Duguid had put Colchester ahead after Lewis Price saved from Jamie Cureton but the club's longest-serving player buried the rebound.

The Blues had a goal disallowed four minutes after the break when Jon Macken followed up an Alan Lee shot that was saved but was ruled to have fouled the keeper.