REMI Oteh admits scoring his first Colchester United goal was a ‘bittersweet’ moment.

The QPR loanee came off the bench to net for the U’s in their 2-1 defeat to Exeter City, a result that led to the departure of head coach Steve Ball.

Oteh’s strike briefly gave Colchester hope against the Grecians but it proved only a consolation, as the visitors saw out victory at the JobServe Community Stadium.

And although the 22-year-old forward said it was good to get on the scoresheet, he admits the happiness he felt after scoring was tempered by the final result.

Oteh said: “Strikers love scoring goals and I’m no different.

“But at the same time, it’s a bittersweet moment because at the end of the day, we came away with no points.

“I’ll take it but I’d rather have the win.”

Colchester have gone 13 matches without a win in League Two and have dropped to 21st position, seven points above the relegation zone.

They are now preparing to travel to play high-flying Forest Green Rovers under new interim first-team coach Wayne Brown and striker Oteh insists the team are battling to turn things around.

“Of course confidence takes a hit but I feel like if you stick together and continue to take the positives from the game, you’ll be fine,” said Oteh, who joined the U’s on loan last month.

“The team are fighting for each other, both on the pitch in matches and in training.

“We’re all fighting and hopefully, our luck will soon turn.

“There’s good players here, whether they’re starting or on the bench.

“We’re all good players but we just have to find that spark and once we find that, we’ll be fine.”

Oteh is hoping to be fit for the Forest Green game, after limping off in the closing stages of Colchester’s defeat against Exeter with an ankle problem.

He added: “It was a weird one really.

“It was a roll of the ankle, so we’ll see how it is and go from there.

“Hopefully it’s nothing too bad and I’ll be fine for the weekend.”