Colchester United boss, Kevin Keen, felt that his side richly deserved their first point, for 10 games, following a 1-1 draw at fellow strugglers Oldham Athletic this afternoon.

An 81st minute own goal by defender Timothee Dieng, from Owen Garvan’s corner, rescued a point for the U’s after Rhys Murphy had broken the deadlock inside the first four minutes.

That avoided a 10th straight league defeat for the U’s.

“I was disappointed with our first-half display,” admitted Keen.

“It was the first time, in three games, that I had come into the dressing room at half-time feeling disappointed.

“So I decided to make a change, with Owen Garvan coming on, and that made a difference.

“The industry that we showed in the second half was enough to earn us a point, and I also think we produced two or three moments of good football, which was not easy on a difficult pitch and in a pressure situation.

“We also hit the bar (Darren Ambrose’s 84th minute shot), so we could have won it, but I’m delighted that the horrible losing run ins over,” added Keen.

The U’s are now off the bottom of League One, with Crewe replacing them at the foot of the table. They are five points adrift of safety.