Colchester United's camouflage hid any quality as they leave Crawley Town with nothing - opinion

The Colchester away shirt this season contains a camouflage element to it which was somewhat ironic as it was very difficult to see any quality on the pitch over the course of the 90 minutes as indicated with just five shots on target between the two sides.

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Crawley spent much of the game huffing and puffing with little sign of the Colchester house being blown down until Tilley popped up with a smart finish in the last minute of injury time.

It was one of those days that if crowds were allowed in the stadium, half of them would have missed the goal due to leaving early to get to Redz bar to get out of the cold.

Given the recent run of results of both sides this game was never set to be a classic, however it was a gutsy performance from Crawley from front to back.

Morris made a couple of very good saves, George Francomb adjusted well to the unfamiliar position of left back, Matthews looked lively in midfield and was the most creative player in a red shirt and up top Ashley Nadesan worked very hard and with a bit of luck may have nabbed a goal or two.

When results are going against you it takes a lot of hard work and belief to turn that around. Crawley had both in abundance which was pleasing to see.

The only downside to the game was injuries picked up to Tom Dallison and Tony Craig. The games are coming thick and fast with a trip to Grimsby on Tuesday and these injuries could leave the defence fairly threadbare with Jordan Tunnicliffe and McNerney the only available recognised centre backs.

In truth 0-0 would probably have been a fair result, however it is a very welcome three points for Crawley with no victories in the previous five games.

The slump had left Reds starting to look a little nervously over their shoulder towards the bottom end of the table. The win actually puts the team back within six points of the playoff positions.

West Bromwich Albion fans refer to themselves as the boing boing baggies for their ability to bounce up and down from season to season. Crawley tend to take that a step further and suffer the same highs and lows all in the course of a single season.

From the delirium over games like Torquay and Leeds in the FA Cup to the crushing home defeats by Harrogate, Stevenage and Carlisle you never know which way the pendulum will swing although by the end of the season invariably it will end up satisfactorily in the middle.

It’s still always a far more interesting slice of reality than that served up on TV in Essex.