Colchester United stalwart, Tom Eastman, has labelled today’s home game against Morecambe as “massive.”

The U’s dropped out of the top three, following the shock 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Stevenage on Boxing Day.

It was only their third home league loss, and only their seventh league defeat of the season.

After each of their previous six defeats, the U’s have bounced back with a positive result in their very next fixture (five wins and one draw), and they will be looking to extend that encouraging sequence against the Shrimps.

“We didn’t get the three points (against Stevenage), which was obviously frustrating,” rued centre-half Eastman.

“I think we probably dominated the ball, and moved the ball around OK, but I don’t think we tested their goalie (Paul Farman) enough and we didn’t have too many clear-cut chances.

“We scored one at the end (Luke Prosser), but apart from that we didn’t really look like scoring.

“But it’s good to have another game coming, Morecambe at home this weekend.

“We’ve got to get back on that winning run at home.

“It’s a massive game, and we’ve got to go out there and get the three points.

“No good team loses two games in a row, and we haven’t done that yet this season. I guess the word ‘frustration’ sums it up after the Stevenage game. It was a brilliant team performance at MK Dons (1-0 win last Saturday), but it was very different on Boxing Day.

“I feel hard done by, because we let ourselves down a little bit.

“But we’ve got to come back and get the three points.

“All teams lose games, as Manchester City have shown recently,” added Eastman.

Out for six weeks with a head injury (fracture above the eye), Eastman returned to the side for the 1-0 win at MK Dons, when the U’s became the first away team this season to win at Stadium MK.

Boxing Day was his first home outing, since an appearance as a substitute in a 1-0 home win over league leaders Lincoln City, at the end of October.

It was also his 300th first team appearance in a Colchester shirt, a terrific achievement for the 27-year-old former Ipswich Town defender.

“I’m feeling fine after my little fracture. It was a head injury, so I have still been training the last four or five weeks,” said Eastman.

“It’s not been too bad fitness-wise, though I headed my first ball (since sustaining the fracture, just above the eye), pretty much at MK Dons!

“Hopefully, I can keep fit for the rest of the season.

“I have been lucky with injuries the last few years, so I can’t complain,” added Eastman.