LUKE Chambers insists the entire Colchester United squad have a ‘new opportunity’ to impress under interim boss Wayne Brown.

The U’s got off to a flying start under Brown after winning 3-0 at Salford City, last weekend.

Chambers acknowledges that Colchester have under-performed so far this season, after finding themselves just above the League Two relegation zone.

But they gave themselves a big boost with the win at Moor Lane, where Chambers produced a man-of-the-match display.

And the experienced defender says it a chance for everyone in the squad to shine.

Chambers said: “It’s always difficult when things change at a football club.

“At the end of the day, the players have to look at themselves in the mirror, because we haven’t been good enough over the last four or five months.

“Ultimately, the manager (Hayden Mullins) has lost his job.

“Wayne Brown has come in, he’s got some work into us and the lads have responded to what has been asked of them.

“We haven’t performed, as a group, as a football club.

“We find ourselves in a position that we don’t want to be in, a position that none of us felt that we would be in, pre-season.

“But what’s happened has happened and we can only respond to the game in front of us and we did that with aplomb.

“We managed to implement the work we’d put in and we were on the front foot.

“It’s a new opportunity for everyone in the squad.”

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Hayden Mullins paid the price for a poor run of form when he was dismissed as Colchester’s head coach, last week.

Mullins, along with assistant manager Alex Dyer, departed following a run of five successive league defeats.

"It's terrible when a manager loses his job that we played for and he gave us everything,” said Chambers.

"We worked together and he was tremendous with all the players.

"It was an all-round good performance (at Salford).

"It's always difficult when you come out and you do react.

"Obviously there will be people saying 'why haven't they done that before?' but that's football.

"If I knew the answer to that, I probably wouldn't be stood here.

"Management changes, players change; I think at times, if a chairman could get rid of the whole squad, he might do!

"That's how hard it is.

"Football can be a lonely place at times, when things aren’t going well.

"There's a bit going on in terms of off the pitch.

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"Sometimes you feel you've done well individually and you're just not getting the rub of the green and results.

"I've been in football for so long now that I feel you've got to enjoy every single moment.”

Colchester are hoping to build on their fine win at Salford when they host high-flying Swindon Town, on Saturday.

The U’s have already played the Robins twice this season, playing out a goal-less draw with them in the league and beating them 2-1 at the County Ground, in the Papa John’s Trophy.

Chambers added: "We have to take it into our next game and we'll be working Monday to Friday to try and make sure that we're as influential in the game as we were (at Salford).

"We just need to be looking forward, looking up and making the most of this week.

"We've got a very good side coming to our place.

"It'll be a totally different game (to Salford) but one that we're looking forward to, because we've had some good battles with them so far, this season.”