Colchester United chairman Robbie Cowling feels the club’s hard work and patience in the transfer market has been rewarded.

The U’s were linked to a number of strikers over the summer, before capturing former player Kevin Lisbie on a season-long loan deal from Ipswich Town earlier this month.

Cowling praised the efforts of U’s boss Paul Lambert and his coaching team in identifying suitable transfer targets.

He told the Gazette: “Paul and his team are very well organised, so we knew right from the beginning who we were after.

“That helped, because negotiations are hard.

“You can make 50 phone calls and it can end in nothing.

“We did a lot of that with some of the strikers, although ironically, I think we ended up with the best striker we could have hoped for.

“It’s like a lot of things - if you work hard, you get rewarded.

“You’re not going to get all of the targets that you go after.

“It’s about having lists and working through them and also being able to respond quickly when someone becomes available.”

l Colchester will receive a special Football League award, following their historic victory at Norwich City.

The U’s 7-1 victory at Carrow Road last weekend, which was the highest league away win in the club’s history, has been acknowledged in the shape of the Performance of the Week accolade.

The winner of the award is chosen by the League Managers Association (LMA).

The LMA’S Performance of the Week panel - which is made up of Sir Alex Ferguson, Joe Royle, Howard Wilkinson, Dave Bassett and Barry Fry - voted the U’s magnificent triumph as the leading display of the week.

U’s boss Paul Lambert will receive a specially engraved crystal football, to be screened tomorrow on Sky Soccer Saturday.