COLCHESTER United's 2-1 home loss to Cheltenham Town could fit many unsavoury descriptions, writes BEN MCCARTHY.

But perhaps the most damming of all was said by Danny Cowley himself: “I’m disappointed in myself, disappointed with the players and I’m disappointed for the supporters, because they’ve had four years of this kind of level of performance.”

Cowley understands the monotony that has been Colchester’s place in League Two for the last four years.

Amid the labour, the strategy and the tension, the recent peak of Colchester’s Everest has been nerve-shredding EFL safety.

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Everything below that is the gaping drop to the National League, which is poised to swallow the U’s up.

Cowley also acknowledges his responsibility to bring about change. To fans, he is the symbol of hope and a fresh new chapter- who will look to climb up the table, not fall down it.

He knows that Saturday’s performance slipped into the ‘same-old’ category, that he was so desperate to avoid.

“This is a proud football club, and I feel sorry for our supporters, I genuinely do, who have had to live this for a long time," he said.

"We’re trying to convince them that they could trust us and believe in this group. We’ve let them down today, for sure.”

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

The defeat, which leaves the U’s 20th and just three points above the drop zone, in the eyes of the head coach, must be a turning point.

He said: “I was just saying to the players, ‘we all have to go away a little bit and do a little bit of soul searching and you have a choice. You either look in the mirror or look out of the window and I just encourage them to look at themselves.

"And that’s not just the players, it’s the staff, it’s us - we’re all a part of that.”

In other words, Saturday’s defeat has got to be a wake-up call, because it betrayed everything a Cowley team represents – and it must be the anomaly, not the norm. If it does, the hope that comes with the idea of change will wither away.

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The result does not condemn Colchester to crisis, nor does it confirm that the 2024/25 season will be like the four before it.

Only four weeks ago, the U’s were 11th in League Two and just a few points beneath the play-off places - there is potential within the squad, but the challenge is to unleash it.