Colchester United had to fight back to rescue a point in their 3-3 draw with bottom side Notts County.

Defensive difficulties

THERE has been a lot of talk of late about Colchester United’s recent shortage of goals.

But it was their deficiencies at the other end that ultimately proved costly for them, against Notts County.

Colchester had only conceded more than once on home soil three times in the league this season, prior to the 3-3 draw against the lowly Magpies.

The last time they shipped three goals at the JobServe Community Stadium was last April…against Notts County.

Mika's sweet moment

MIKAEL Mandron’s goal against Notts County was rather fortuitous in its nature.

But the Colchester United striker perhaps deserved a slice of luck, given his hard-working performance.

The goal will have been particularly sweet for Mandron.

Not only did it get the U’s right back into the contest ahead of the second half; it also came at the expense of Notts County, against whom he had missed a penalty last season.

A poor run of form...but U's are still in touch

COLCHESTER United are currently experiencing their biggest dip in form of the season so far.

They have collected just two points from a possible 12 in their last four games and have won only one of their last six matches.

Yet only goal difference separates the U’s from the play-off places and John McGreal’s side lie just three points off the automatic promotion places.

They have played more games than most of the teams above them.

Nevertheless, they are still very much in the promotion mix, despite their disappointing recent run of results.

Terrific Tom

IT is not too often a player is afforded his own presentation prior to a match.

But after reaching the 300-game mark for Colchester United over the festive period, Tom Eastman certainly earned that right after he was given a commemorative shirt to mark his achievement prior to the Notts County clash.

The long-serving defender, a three-time Player of the Year award winner at the club, has consolidated his place in the top 20 in the U’s list of all-time appearance makers.

Eastman has now been with Colchester since 2011 - who would back against the likeable 27-year-old staying at the club for a decade and beyond?

A perilous position

NOTTS County’s lowly position is a sobering reminder that promotion out of League Two is not a given.

Much like Chesterfield last season and Leyton Orient the previous year, the Magpies started off as one of the main promotion contenders.

But at the midway point, they find themselves still rooted to the bottom of the table.

“There are so many things that we’re trying to work on but ultimately, we’re still getting stuff wrong,” mused Neal Ardley, the club’s third manager this season, after the Colchester draw.

Relegation is a very real possibility for Notts County and their plight shows how unforgiving the division can be for any club.