Colchester United head coach John McGreal on Forest Green Rovers defeat

JOHN McGreal admits a shortage of goals from some of his attacking players is a worry after they were beaten 1-0 at Forest Green this afternoon.

The U's have managed two goals in their last four games in League Two and drew a blank for the second successive league game, after losing at the New Lawn.

McGreal said: "We keep throwing down the gauntlet for players to score goals throughout the team. "We've got Luke Norris on four goals, Frank Nouble on two but we've got no goals anywhere else and that's a little bit of a worry.

"We're getting into some brilliant positions and we should be scoring a goal in the second half - no question about it.

"We want our attacking players to score and you can't always rely on the likes of Nouble and Norris, because they're going to have indifferent games.

"For the first half an hour, you have to give Forest Green and how they moved the ball a bit of credit.

"I had to change the shape that we'd worked on yesterday ten minutes before half-time, because one or two of the players weren't taking on what we'd spoken about.

"That was mentioned at half-time but I thought for 55 minutes, we were very good and the shape really worked for us - we got into good areas.

"The chances have come for us and the shape worked with 4-3-3 that we keep playing didn't work at times in that opening half hour.

"In the last hour, we were able to keep the ball, gain a bit of territory and make the chances.

"We got into some great positions in the second half but we're not even hitting the target or making the keeper work.

"That's the disappointing thing and when we are clean through, we pick the wrong pass to give to Theo (Robinson) to slot the ball in."

Luke Prosser's own goal on the half hour proved the difference between the two sides, as Colchester surrendered their six-match unbeaten run.

McGreal said: "It's one of those unfortunate things.

"I've been there myself when a keeper shouts and a player goes towards it like that."

McGreal felt Colchester should have been awarded a penalty late on when substitute Kwame Poku went down in the box.

He added: "It's definitely a penalty with young Kwame.

"The young boys who came on gave us a right shot in the arm."