Colchester boss John Ward spoke to BBC Radio Essex after his side's 4-1 defeat against Carlisle at Brunton Park, the former Blues manager saying the U's were beaten by the better side :
"We were beaten by a better side and we didn't compete as well as we have been doing throughout the full season. I have been able to come and chat to you and defend my team and the way they have gone about it pretty much througout the season even when we have not won games. But, today our competitive instinct was not fully in there right the way through and the better side won the game. I said to my team prior to the game that if we allowed Carlisle to pass the ball, and they can do that, I have just seen them twice in the last three weeks, play the ball and play their football wisely.
"But, if we get on the ball ourselves we could give them problems and both things happened in an instance, we didn't get close enough to them but when we did get on the ball our passing was off. We got forward enough times in a strange way but our final ball delivery, pass, didn't hurt the Carlisle people, then when they got into us they hurt us obviously. So, the better team has won the game today and we have got to just have a serious look at it and ask why we didn't compete as well as we have been doing in the first 40-odd games of the season.
"It is a strange one because I read this morning in the national press that Neil Warnock said a 4-1 defeat is only one game away, I was thinking that hadn't happened to me yet, and here I am a few hours later saying that, he lost at Scunthorpe and his team has got to pick up after that. So, I am in the same position, it can happen to a team at the top of the league that he has got and it can happen to a team like ours. But, it doesn't make it any better and I don't feel very good about it at all.
"My captain (Kemal Izzet) has just told you that we looked lethargic and I agree with him, that is what we said in the dressing room, we did look that way, too many of our players looked a little bit tired today when yesterday training was bright. But, I have seen that before with good Fridays and not so good Saturdays and vice-versa, so it is never really an indication to your Saturday but they got on the ball better than us today, passed it better than us and hurt us with it. I thought we were a bit unfortunate with the first goal, it is a good strike (from James Berrett) but it has taken a deflection. So you think OK, it is a little test for us, can we come back on it, but by the time you get to half-time it is too big a mountain to climb and we weren't capable of doing that."
"We said that if we didn't close them down they could pass the ball very well, or as good as they can, but we have contributed a little bit to that. It is the same answer I know but that is exactly what happened, we haven't hurt them as much as they have hurt us with their bits of passing and being as clean with our passing and our play as they have. So, when you get beaten by a better side you have got to say so sometimes and that is what has happened us to today.
"I have been able to come out and defend my team and my players and their approach to the game and this time I can't and I won't do. One thing I am not, I am not a fool and I know what I have seen, I have seen the same as you, it was a poor performance today. Players have got to stand up and be counted, that is why I didn't change it at half-time, I said that you have got us into this so come and get us out of it.
"We have had a fantastic chance a minute in that can change the whole afternoon if we put it away, but obviously we haven't and the fourth goal kills it off, although we pinched one back a little bit it was a foregone conclusion and the result was far away from us. So, I can't defend my team today, I feel very much for the supporters that have come up today, it is a massive journey for them and a great expense and we have not given them anything to smile about, and I am sorry for that just as much as I am annoyed about what we have seen on the pitch today.
"I wanted the team to be more competitive and we weren't, we talked about it yesterday in training and we talked about it this morning prior to the game when the team was selected. I picked a team to harrass the opposition if you like, there is some power and strength in that team and we didn't do it well or consistently, so it didn't work.
"I said well played to Greg Abbott after the game. You can never guarantee anything in this game at all, so you have got to keep your dignity and keep going with it. There were a lot of people here that I was pleased to see and they were pleased to see me whatever the result today. Even probably the partisan Carlisle supporters will have wished me doing a little bit better, but we haven't, I have got to take it on the chin and move it across to the training on Monday and we start again and prepare for the next one, which is away from home (to Brentford) interestingly enough, so we have got to be better."