It is rare to see a manager speak as positively immediately following a defeat as Tony Humes did, in the aftermath of Colchester United’s loss to Bury.

But while he was naturally disappointed to see his side’s winning run come to an end, the U’s boss was right to be enthused about the U’s performance.

During Humes’ time in charge, there have been times at the Weston Homes Community Stadium where defeat has been met by disgruntlement and displeasure from the U’s fans.

Not this time, though.

On this occasion, it was a ripple of applause that greeted the players as they trudged towards the tunnel, an indication of the supporters’ rich appreciation of their team’s efforts which deserved more than a narrow defeat, their first at the stadium since March.

The only thing missing from Colchester’s performance was a clinical edge, something that they have had in abundance over recent weeks having scored 14 goals in their previous six league games.

But it is a sign of how far this U’s team has come in a short space of time – and the high standards they have set themselves – that they should be so disappointed after a defeat, despite playing well.

After all, for the likes of recent new additions Marvin Sordell, Jamie Jones and Owen Garvan, this was a whole new experience – tasting defeat in a Colchester shirt.

Now that their fine run is over, it is time for the U’s to get back on the saddle and aim to embark on another winning sequence.

They now have back-to-back away games to prepare for, starting with their trip to play Shrewsbury Town, this weekend.

It is essential that they show that they can recover quickly from this setback, the first they have experienced as a team for some time.

As Humes said after the Bury defeat, you can’t go on winning and scoring every week.

But if Colchester are to achieve the consistency they are striving for, it is vital that they do not allow this disappointment to become anything more than just a blip.

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