Ward: We were below our edge

COLCHESTER United boss John Ward admits his side were ‘below their edge’ in this afternoon’s 2-1 defeat at Swindon.

The U’s got nowhere near reaching matching the performance levels which secured them four successive wins leading into this game, while Swindon looked a far better side than the one which had slumped to within a point of the relegation zone.

Following their first away defeat in 16 league games – only their second loss altogether – Ward said: “Swindon have had an inconsistent start, but they look as though they may move up the league with a performance like that.

“We just slipped below our edge today, that might be down to us and it might be down to the opposition as well.

“Their second goal was fantastic and sometimes you just have to sit down and say ‘we couldn’t do anything about that’.

“The big difference over the 90 minutes was their boy up front who I mentioned in the build up (striker Charlie Austin) and (Jonathan) Douglas made a difference coming back into their midfield.”

Thanks to Brighton and Huddersfield both losing, Colchester haven’t lost that much ground in the promotion race. In fact, they are just two points off second and are one of five teams all on 26 points between third and seventh.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” said Ward. “If we’d have taken a point or won the game that would have been more pleasing to hear.”

– More reaction in Monday’s EADT.