COLCHESTER skipper Karl Duguid insists that the U's will bounce back from the disappointment of crashing to a 3-0 defeat at Leeds United on Saturday.A brace from Robbie Blake, and a header from Richard Cresswell condemned the U's to only their third defeat in the last 13 matches.

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER skipper Karl Duguid insists that the U's will bounce back from the disappointment of crashing to a 3-0 defeat at Leeds United on Saturday.

A brace from Robbie Blake, and a header from Richard Cresswell condemned the U's to only their third defeat in the last 13 matches.

But it was the below-par performance rather than just the poor result that most frustrated U's winger Duguid.

“I hold up my hands and admit that we just didn't perform. It was not our best display,” rued Duguid.

“For the first time in 18 games this season we have failed to do what we wanted to do. It's the first time that we have been well beaten.

“Leeds were low on confidence but we ended up gifting them three goals. I don't think that they were three goals better. It was not a great game, but we are all disappointed. However, we have to keep things in perspective. We have been doing well this season, and we must just forget about this performance. I'm sure that we can bounce back at Sunderland next weekend.

“It was going to happen sooner or later, when we failed to deliver a performance. But we were missing three big players (Kevin Watson, Richard Garcia and Greg Halford) because of injury.”