Colchester United were beaten 2-0 at Bury to leave their League Two play-off hopes hanging by a thread.

The U's suffered a fifth defeat in six matches, after a second-half brace from Dom Telford condemned them to a loss another loss at Gigg Lane.

So near and yet so far

IT feels as though Colchester United are further away from winning promotion than they have ever been, this season.

Sadly, that is the reality of the situation after their 2-0 defeat at Bury left them five points off the League Two play-off places with just four games remaining.

John McGreal’s side have resided in the top seven for much of the season.

But they are now in ninth spot after a miserable run of five defeats in six matches, which has come at just the wrong time of the campaign.

It is still possible for them to clinch a top-seven finish but sadly, even the most optimistic U’s fans would be hard pressed to tip their side to achieve it now.

Super Sam

IT was a shame that Sam Saunders should finish on the losing side on his first-ever start for Colchester United.

The experienced midfielder produced an impressive display at Bury and was unlucky not to score on two occasions from long-range, one effort a fine free-kick which was well saved by keeper Joe Murphy and the other a spectacular effort that rattled the crossbar.

Modestly, Saunders was reluctant to bask in the glory of his own display afterwards, instead reflecting his disappointment following his side’s 2-0 loss.

But having not previously started a competitive match since last November, the former Brentford man can be pleased with his efforts after completing an influential first 90 minutes for the U’s.

Keeper talk

MUCH has been said and written about Colchester’s goalkeeper situation, over recent weeks.

There was once again a change between the sticks for the U’s at Bury, with Rene Gilmartin returning in place of Dillon Barnes.

Both players would probably freely admit that they have made mistakes over recent games – but unfortunately for the U’s, they are not the only ones.

The time for analysis of individual players and their respective performances will perhaps come at the end of the season.

But what will not change is that the position of goalkeeper is one that is most heavily scrutinised.

If you are a keeper, there is nowhere to hide.

Prosser's misery

IT proved to be a pretty miserable day for Colchester at Bury.

And skipper Luke Prosser’s painful-looking ankle injury only served to compound their woe.

The U’s captain suffered the setback in the second half of the 2-0 defeat at Gigg Lane.

And while there is yet to be any official diagnosis of the injury and how long he might be out, it did not look good given the manner of his departure from the pitch.

Let’s hope Prosser will be able to return to action again, before the end of the season.

Bury bury off-the-field blues

TO say that Bury's players and staff had had a tough week building up to the visit of Colchester would be something of an understatement.

But by the final whistle, you would never have known it given the collective spirit on show.

It must have been a very challenging and testing time for the Shakers’ players and staff who are yet to be paid last month’s wages.

But as much as the defeat was disappointing from a Colchester point of view, the home club deserve credit for the professional manner in which they dealt with what must be a very difficult situation.