Colchester United manager Tony Humes praised his players, despite their failure to kill off Swindon Town tonight.

The U’s were held to a 1-1 draw by the Robins, with Ben Gladwin’s 53rd minute header equalising Jacob Murphy’s opener after just 37 seconds.

As a result, the U’s will begin the final round of matches third-from-bottom, and so stuck in the relegation zone.

They must beat promotion-chasing Preston on Sunday, and hope that results elsewhere go their way, to stay up.

“I thought the players were outstanding, all through the game,” enthused manager Humes.

“They were outstanding in terms of the way they went about it, the quality they showed, and the opportunities they created.

“We just didn’t finish them off.

“But the work-rate and the effort was fantastic.

“We got a great start, but it was a long time to hang on. We tried to get the second goal, but we just couldn’t manage it,” added Humes