Colchester United fan Si Collinson with his views on the U's

The game at the Eco-Power Stadium summed up our season in 90 minutes.

There was some brief – and I mean very brief - flashes of decent football, but the majority of it was slow, backwards and devoid of ideas.

Doncaster did not look a team of much confidence but frankly we made them look good and gifted them goals through our mistakes.

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The less said about their first goal from the corner the better and as for the penalty, well that was a hands in head moment.

I am firmly in the camp of supporters needing to stick behind the team through thick and thin; you can't enjoy the good times without suffering the bad times and all that.

But there is also a line where my thoughts and views become null and void without stating the obvious, rather than wearing rose-tinted glasses and sweeping things under the carpet.

The injuries are hitting us hard and that is limiting choices on the bench, but everyone in the matchday squad are professional footballers and the basics should be second nature to them.

Having to list simple passing and movement into space as work on points would be criminal at Sunday League level, let alone in the professional game.

Then there is the issue of leadership, or more correctly, the lack of.

No-one actually grabbed the team and attempted to raise their heads up when it was clear to all to see just how deflated the team were.

It was more telling in a stadium that was very quite and where sound echoed. It was, as they say, a silence that was deafening.

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A captain at any level has to lead, though example and encouragement at tough times.

The most shouting we heard was between players arguing at whose fault things were.

I get the frustration, but that has a time and place, not when we have conceded a poor goal and need positivity.

I said in my last column that a quick turn around between games was maybe a plus as we could bounce back after the Barrow defeat.

That was clearly not the case and now we have a prolonged gap in the fixtures, the game against West Ham under-21s in the EFL Trophy aside.

We have ten days from Doncaster to Crawley and this week and a half could well be season defining.

There is a long list of things to work on, but unless they start with the basics and most importantly set-piece defending, this season could be the one.

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I’ll admit that driving down the A1 last Tuesday night, there was talk of the dreaded relegation that is once again looming over us.

Too long we have relied on there being two teams worse than us but this season there is the real chance unless we pick ourselves up of teams below us going on a run and suddenly we are looking at Dorking away next season.

We have the players on paper who should be better. The manager will get the stick and blame, but in fairness unless the basics are there, the tactical bits are pointless.

You can change things until you are blue in the face, but until we can pass the ball ten yards and go forward, it is all wasted.

I am more than happy to be wrong and see us go on an impressive run and leave the relegation zone behind, but sadly it seems a big ask at the moment.

Even the most positive fans can see we are sailing towards the iceberg that might finally sink the ship.

Personally, I will carry on going to matches home and away to support the lads, but can at the same time see why others are not.

We need something positive to get behind and cling to but with the cold weather and dark nights, it is getting harder to see the light. Up the U’s.