As the well-known saying goes ‘a week is a long time in football’ and this was true this week.

After a difficult opening day defeat to Wimbledon last Saturday, I am sat writing this seven days later in a much better mood after two positive results.

The first was our first knockout game under the Cowleys.

League One Reading came to North Essex and after yet another fast start we were 1-0 up inside five minutes, this time Tom Hopper on target.

Then Jack Payne added a second from the penalty spot just before the hour mark and all looked comfortable.

But a cracking strike from Charlie Savage saw us pegged back 10 minutes later and suddenly the nerves were back.

Sadly the inevitable happened and the visitors equalised to make it 2-2 in the 73rd minute. Once again in we had let a 2-0 lead slip away, for the second time in four days. Not a great advert for the defence.

Yes, we went on to win tie on penalties, with new keeper Matt Macey saving twice. But this progress did deflect from what would have been the major talking point had we lost and that was how do we keep a lead until the full-time whistle?

With our first home league game on the horizon, I am sure that Danny and Nicky, along with their staff had a few frank conversations and looked at what was wrong and how to combat this worrying trend.

Then suddenly Saturday had come round again and this time MK Dons were the visitors.

It was always going to be a tough game as MK were play-off contenders last season and many have tipped them to go one better this year.

The first half was not great, truth be told. We seemed to be rushing things and almost playing forward too quickly and although we had a few chances it was the visitors who could and should have gone in ahead at the half-time whistle, as Macey made a good save when faced with a one-on-one.

That said, if MK felt hard done by not to be leading, there was a case for them to be lucky to still have 11 men on the pitch after a few challenges that the referee was lenient on and refused to get his cards out of his pocket.

Whatever was said at half-time worked, as although it was an unchanged side in terms of personnel, the tweaks that were made sure did help.

We seemed to be pressing a few yards higher to frustrate their possession game, while at the same time taking more time to decide when to play the pass through and when to look to build up with patience.

Although we played much better it still took a few changes and until the 81st minute for substitute Arthur Read to latch on to a through pass from Samson Tovide.

Read carried the ball forward and finished with a rare collector's item, a goal scored with his right foot!

So far, so good, and with under 10 minutes to go we should have been feeling comfortable, but given what had happened so far there was the nervous under current among the home fans that we could still let this slip.

That fear was put to bed deep into stoppage time when U’s man of the match Jack Payne scored to seal all three points and end a very positive afternoon for Colchester.

As the dust settles on the first few games, much has rightly been made of the new signing duo, Teddy Bishop and Jack Payne.

Bishop has shown his class when carrying the ball forward and is a handful for defenders. Payne’s goals and assists speak for themselves, but it is another new face that I think has been outstanding this week.

Step forward Alex Woodyard. He isn’t the flare player the other two are, and may not be the fastest, but he reads the game so well and is happy to do the less glamorous leg work as a holding midfielder.

He very much reminds me of Cole Skuse, the type of player you do not realise just what they do until they aren’t there. He may not write the headlines this season, but given what has been seen so far, he may well provide the ink for others to write them.

It is early days, we can't get too carried away as it is only one win, but the buzz and excitement is back in this Colchester side.

If we follow all this up with another win against Harrogate Town, again at home next weekend, we can maybe start to think the season is well and truly underway. Up the U’s!