Matthew Etherington praised Colchester’s reaction to half-time boos as they came from behind to win 3-1 at home to Swindon.
The hosts trailed at the break to a 23rd-minute strike from Jake Young, who netted with a low shot from the edge of the area from Frazer Blake-Tracy’s pass.
But they levelled in the 49th minute when Cameron McGeehan bundled the ball home from near the goal-line following Jayden Fevrier’s cross into the six-yard box.
And Colchester went ahead in the 64th minute when Samson Tovide fired home a first-time finish from Will Greenidge’s cross.
Noah Chilvers sealed the victory in the third minute of stoppage time when he latched on to fellow substitute Bradley Ihionvien’s pass and slotted past goalkeeper Murphy Mahoney.
Colchester interim boss Etherington said: “It was a good night’s work, in the end.
“Obviously the first half wasn’t good enough – the players knew that.
“We changed a bit of the structure in terms of the way we were in possession and I thought that helped.
“The first half wasn’t good enough in terms of not enough pressure on the ball and they could play at ease so that was disappointing.
“But the second half was really good and a really pleasing performance.
“There were a few boos at half-time and rightly so. We were poor and I’ve got no issue with that whatsoever, but the reaction was pleasing.
“The players knew that and I told them that as well.
“I’m more pleased for the players – I genuinely don’t care about myself.
“It’s good for the players at this football club that we have managed to give ourselves a little bit of breathing space now.”
Swindon boss Michael Flynn bemoaned his side’s naivety after they slumped to a fourth straight defeat in all competitions.
Flynn said: “We’re too easy to score against at the moment.
“We’ve let a lead slip five times this season.
“In the first half I thought we were very, very good and on the front foot, but we’ve got to be better in both boxes.
“For their first goal, the cross is too easy and he peels off too easily and we shot ourselves in the foot – we didn’t defend it right.
“We’ve got to be better in both boxes.
“Even when we were winning, playing well – look at the Wrexham game etc, Morecambe, Salford, Crewe and now here tonight, there’s the five games where we’ve thrown leads away.
“We need to be a lot more savvy, wise and the only way to do that is to keep working hard and together.
“The effort and the commitment was there tonight, but we were very, very naive and we dropped too deep.”
Terzic slams Mainz showing after Dortmund suffer Champions League hangover
Edin Terzic warned Borussia Dortmund must swiftly forget about their Champions League heroics in Paris after a 3-0 humbling by Mainz on Saturday.
Lee Jae-Sung twice punished a sloppy Dortmund performance after Leandro Barreiro had opened the scoring for relegation-battling Mainz in their Bundesliga clash.
That abject performance came after BVB managed a 1-0 away victory against Paris Saint-Germain, progressing to the Champions League final after a 2-0 aggregate victory over Luis Enrique's side.
Dortmund head coach Terzic was far from impressed after defeat against Mainz left his side four points adrift of fourth-placed RB Leipzig in the German top flight.
"Let's let Paris be Paris and talk about last week and this week," Terzic told Sky Sport Germany.
"The starting position was similar to last week. Except now we were always late and outnumbered.
"It was a deserved defeat, especially because of the first half."
Marco Reus echoed Terzic's sentiment after Dortmund came crashing back down to earth following their European success.
"If you see the first half, it's deserved, even at the highest level," the Dortmund veteran added.
"We expect more from ourselves. There was still a lot at stake for Mainz.
"It was important for us to continue to gain self-confidence. That just was not good today. This is a pity."
Dortmund will hope to respond when they host Darmstadt next Saturday before their Champions League final against Real Madrid on June 1 at Wembley Stadium.
Wolves have work to do as promising season fizzles out, says O'Neil
Wolves boss Gary O'Neil says there is a "lot of work to be done" at Molineux ahead of next season, after their downturn continued with a 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Michael Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze were on target as Wolves were beaten in their final home game of the campaign, with the in-form Eagles making it five wins in six matches.
Wolves have won just one of their last 10 games in all competitions (two draws, seven defeats), a run which began with a dramatic FA Cup quarter-final collapse against Coventry City in March.
After beating Fulham 2-1 on March 9, O'Neil's team sat eighth in the Premier League table, just one point adrift of the top seven.
However, injuries to key attackers Pedro Neto, Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha stunted their momentum and a once-promising campaign will now fizzle out to a bottom-half finish.
O'Neil has previously said Wolves will not be able to spend big in the transfer market ahead of 2024-25, but he knows they need to strengthen.
"There's lots that we have to improve," he said. "In the first two thirds of the season we looked like a team chasing Europe, and in the last third of the season you could see the issues that we've had and those have come to light.
"As a football club, we need to have a real good look at the last few weeks.
"People are starting to come back, and we still haven't managed to regain that impetus and momentum that we had before.
"There's a lot of work to be done between now and the start of next season, and a tough away game next week at Anfield."
Wolves go to Liverpool for their last game of the season next week, as the Reds' final opponents under departing boss Jurgen Klopp.
Pochettino reiterates desire to stay at Chelsea as improved form continues
Mauricio Pochettino reiterated he plans to still be in charge of Chelsea next season following his side's remarkable win over Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea made it three wins in a row - and four without defeat - thanks to a battling 3-2 victory in Saturday's Premier League clash at City Ground.
Pochettino has repeatedly had his position called into question this season, but the Blues' upturn in form has changed all that.
Speaking on the eve of the Forest game, the Argentinian said he would stay as long as owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were happy.
And asked again about his future by Sky Sports after the match, Pochettino said: "I had an honest conversation in the press conference.
"To clarify, if the owner is happy with my job we can continue. I am always a coach who is thinking long term.
"All departments must be happy for us to be a good team to compete. I still have one more year in my contract and I am thinking to be here."
Chelsea found themselves behind against Forest when Mykhailo Mudryk's opener was cancelled out by Willy Boly and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
However, Raheem Sterling equalised on 80 minutes and fellow substitute Reece James assisted Nicolas Jackson's winner two minutes later.
The 35 points Chelsea have collected since Boxing Day has been bettered only by top three sides Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
"The best thing is the way that we always believe until the end," Pochettino said after his side's latest victory. "Football is about fighting.
"I am pleased because the players from the bench made a big impact so I am happy with our recovery.
"It was important for the team to finish the season strong, with the hope to start next season really well.
"If we are honest, we were punished in our first 10 games. Our performance was good but we were not clinical and we wasted big chances.
"All the data said we were in a false position. After we beat Tottenham, in the last 24 games we are in the top four or five.
"I want to be positive, that is important. We have struggled in these type of games but this young team need to realise how we need to compete."
Chelsea are level on points with sixth-place Newcastle United, who occupy a Europa Conference League play-off spot.
Tottenham are six points better off in a Europa League spot, meanwhile, with two games left to play for both sides.
Asked if his side can still qualify for Europe, Pochettino said: "I hope, yes. But there are still two big games."
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