Reporting on Colchester United up and down the country has numerous privileges.

One such perk is the opportunity to hear the opposition’s take on the U’s, in the minutes that follow a match.

At Huish Park, for example, Gary Johnson cut a frustrated figure in the press room, in the immediate aftermath of Yeovil Town’s defeat.

The Glovers manager’s discontent was hardly surprising, given the fact that his team had just produced a lacklustre performance lacking in any vitality or zest.

Interestingly, Johnson highlighted the way in which his centre-forward, Tom Eaves, had been as he put it “out-experienced” by U’s centre-back pairing, Kaspars Gorkss and Tom Eastman.

Interesting, in the sense that “experienced” is an adjective not commonly associated with Colchester’s back four – or the team in general - this season.

With an average collective age of older than 26, the U’s back four against Yeovil was considerably more senior than of previous weeks.

The mean age of the U’s defence was increased by the inclusion of full-backs Sean Clohessy and Ben Gordon, who had been left out in previous weeks in favour of their young counterparts, Elliott Hewitt and Cole Kpekawa.

Their exclusion has been a point of consternation among U’s fans for several weeks, so it was perhaps poignant that they should help Colchester keep their first clean sheet in the league since September.

Indeed, Gordon and Clohessy have been part of the U’s back four in each of their five shut-outs in League One this season.

And neither started the two heavy league defeats against Rochdale and MK Dons that had preceded the Yeovil win, where ten goals were conceded.

U’s boss Tony Humes has valid reasons for choosing the personnel he does and in addition to the over-riding desire to obtain results, he has also commendably adhered to the club’s philosophy of youth.

Significantly though, he acknowledged that the U’s needed more experience against Yeovil and it paid off.

The likes of Kpekawa will no doubt get further opportunities to impress at Colchester, depending on the opposition and game circumstances.

But in recalling his two more senior full-backs at Yeovil, Humes acknowledged that there will be times between now and the end of the season where the importance of game management supersedes the energy and naivety of youth.