"That was totally unacceptable. We did not play at all and the lads were, for some reason, not up for the game. We looked lethargic, ran out of ideas and it is very, very disappointing.
"We have a good bunch of lads here at the club but today they were not up for it and got what we deserved against a team that I feel we should have beaten.
"The lads have had plenty of rest, we travelled down yesterday and prepared well for the game so it is not a case of playing three games in a week and that cannot be used as an excuse. We will have to play three a week at other times and the lads are fit enough to cope with that.
"We changed things around a bit because we wanted to be a bit more solid away from home but bringing Paul Reid in for Chris Shuker cost us some of our threat going forward. Maybe we should not have done that.
"We were not in any danger in the first half although I felt it was a very poor game. Colchester were not better than us in the first half and I do not think that they were any better after the break but we were simply not at the races throughout. If we had put in another ten or fifteen per cent then we would have won the game and we really should be better than what we saw today.
"I am expecting this team to come to places like Colchester, perform and win the game. I will not send the team out to play for a point because this was a game that we were more than capable of winning. However, to win games you have to put the effort in and that was not there today.
"I am very, very disappointed with the performance and we will not be forgetting it. The lads know, in no uncertain terms, what I think of the performance this afternoon and I think we will sit down and discuss it again on Monday when I have had chance to calm down a bit".