Colchester United have rebounded between defeats and victories in recent weeks, and defender Frankie Kent hopes that the U’s will again show that bouncebackability at play-off rivals Exeter City this afternoon.

The U’s have featured in three 3-0 scorelines on the spin, a 3-0 home win over Newport last weekend sandwiched by 3-0 defeats at Swindon and at the hands of Forest Green Rovers.

Today, they take on a Grecians side who have slithered out of the top seven following back-to-back defeats by Northampton and Tranmere.

The Devon club have also lost their last two games at St James Park, although a win this weekend would see them leapfrog the seventh-placed U’s in the table.

John McGreal’s men have tended to do well, in the face of adversity, as reflected in the impressive statistic that they have only ONCE suffered back-to-back league losses this term – reverses at the hands of Mansfield and Crewe at the end of January.

“There will be a lot more ups and downs this season, that’s for sure,” insisted Kent.

“We need to find some consistency and we don’t want to end up running out of games.

“Tuesday night was hard to take. We were very disappointed with that. But it happened. We were gutted, and we must make sure we bounce back on Saturday.

“Goals are always preventable, and I felt we could have prevented all three goals on Tuesday. We were a bit loose, on the ball and off the ball, and to be beaten 3-0 at home is not good.

“We need to work on it. We gave it our all, right up to the final whistle, and we need to take the positives as much as we can.

“We know that we have got to react and to come back strong. We know it’s going to be a tough game because Exeter are in-and-around us. We are still in the top seven, but it was a missed chance against Forest Green Rovers – we need to be taking these sort of chances,” added Kent.

Frank Nouble serves a one-match suspension, while Ben Stevenson faces a late fitness test on a groin injury. Loanee Callum Roberts returned to Newcastle earlier in the week.

Squads

EXETER: Pym, Martin, O’Shea, Woodman, Wilson, Law, Taylor, Collins, Hartridge, Jay, Forte, Holmes, William, Bowman, Oates, J Brown, T Brown, Boateng, Hamon.

COLCHESTER: Gilmartin, Jackson, Kent, Eastman, Vince-Young, Stevenson, Mandron, Senior, Szmodics, Dickenson, Norris, Prosser, Wright, Eisa, Chilvers, Comley, Kensdale & Barnes.

Referee: Scott Oldham (Lancs)