Apologetic U's boss Steve Whitton made a vow to Colchester fans today that the club will only make the drop to Division Three over his dead body.

Colchester United are staring Third Division football in the face if they don't buck up their ideas.

With seven games to play the U's are hovering precariously just eight points above the Second Division relegation trapdoor with the form of some of those clubs below them ominously improving.

Action from the U's defeat at Peterborough

And while two of them, Bournemouth and Notts County were winning handsomely on Saturday, the U's were turning in one of their most disgraceful displays for many a year when being blown away 3-1 in a windswept encounter at lowly Peterborough.

A hot under the collar Whitton blasted: "It was our worst performance since I have been manager and probably in all my time at the club as a player.

"It's the most angry I have ever felt after a game and it looked every bit as bad when I watched it all over again on video.

"We were outplayed, outfought and outhought in every department on the pitch and it hurt me greatly to watch it."

He added: "I hope it hurt the lads just as much when they watched the video on Sunday.

"I probably upset a lot of wives and mothers by having them all in on Sunday, but there will be no day off for anyone this week because we haven't earned it."

"We let the club and the fans down badly and I can only apologise to everyone and promise them we'll be working very hard throughout the week to put things right."

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Published Monday, March 11, 2002