Colchester United head coach John McGreal refused to use the club's crippling injury list as an excuse for their 3-2 home defeat against Crawley Town tonight.

The U's suffered their first home defeat since November after a Jimmy Smith hat-trick inflicted upon them a disappointing loss at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, despite goals from Denny Johnstone and Brennan Dickenson.

Colchester were without more than a dozen players due to injury but boss McGreal was not in the mood for excuses, after defeat against Crawley left them three points adrift of the play-off places in League Two.

McGreal said: “I’m not going to blame the injuries at all – it gives the boys opportunities to play.

“The likes of Wynts and Briggs have played first division football and you’re expecting them to step in and put in a good performance with Lloyd (Doyley) and Frankie (Kent) going out.

"It's nothing to do with the injuries; it's to do with an air of not doing the right thing after getting a really good start.

"Don't get me wrong, Crawley are a good passing team and once they got a little foothold into it, we just seemed a little bit deflated after we scored, which was disappointing.

“I thought that we started the game really well and got a really good goal.

“Even at half-time, I just felt that we came off it and I don’t know why.

“It wasn’t through lack of fitness and bodies but you can’t take your foot off the gas and that’s what happened.

“We went to sleep off a set piece for their first goal and it was a poor one to give away.

“We thought let’s regroup and go again but we were unable to do that and they got a second and then a third after half-time.

“They had three shots and got three goals but we didn’t do the basics after the really good start that we had."