Colchester United boss, John McGreal, wants his side to “just give it a go” and see if they can defy the odds to snatch a League Two play-off berth during the last month of the season.

The U’s have the benefit of home advantage against fourth-placed Stevenage tomorrow afternoon – and that could be a big advantage, seeing as though the U’s have won nine of their last 11 fixtures at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Stevenage are bang in form themselves, both at home and on the road, but the U’s cannot really afford to drop any points today.

“We just want to give it a go and see what we’ve got,” insisted McGreal.

“There are still 18 points to play for, and who knows how many points will be required to get into the top seven?

“It will certainly be great to be back at home. Our home record is second only to leaders Doncaster in this division.

“Stevenage are also in a rich vein of form. They have been terrific at home and have also been picking up points on their travels.

“But we are up for the challenge, and we are ready to continue our good home form,” added McGreal.

The U’s under-achieved on their last outing, a 3-1 defeat at Notts County last weekend, and it seems likely that they will need to win five of their last six matches to make the play-offs.

Four of these six fixtures are on home turf, even though top-four clubs Stevenage, Doncaster and Plymouth will provide stern opposition, before the visit of struggling Yeovil on the final day.

“We had meetings after the Notts County and Portsmouth (4-0 home defeat) games, when we had not played well,” continued McGreal.

“But as we discussed, it’s not as bad as the last few years. If we fail to get into the play-offs then it’s still not been a bad season. It’s not like we are getting relegated.

“Our home form has been terrific, and that really helps to build a bond between the players and the supporters. You really feel that bond now, and it’s great that we have managed to turn our home form around after the last couple of years.

“The fans in the South Stand get us going, and that filters throughout the whole ground,” added McGreal.