Sam Walker has revealed that Colchester United’s survival success was fuelled by a desire to prove their critics wrong.

The U’s were tipped as relegation candidates by some, even before a ball was kicked in League One this season.

And few outside of the Weston Homes Community Stadium expected Colchester to clamber to safety, on the final day of the campaign.

However, Tony Humes’ side pulled off a great escape after defying the odds to beat promotion-chasing Preston North End 1-0, on Sunday.

And U’s goalkeeper Walker said the harsh words of their doubters served to spur them on even more, in their successful quest to avoid the drop.

Walker said: “We’d been written off so many times and we had to stay positive.

“It’s not just this season - we always seem to get written off at Colchester and I think that helps us out and spurs us on.

“The manager has come in for a lot of stick and I’m so delighted for him.

“It was the best feeling I’ve ever had on a football pitch after the final whistle went (against Preston).

“We said in the changing room afterwards that it was like some sort of TV show or film.

“The odds were stacked up against us going into the Preston game but we did it.

“It beats Carlisle by some way and the whole day and the atmosphere was incredible.

“By all accounts, results were going against us at one point and to score a last-gasp goal like that was unbelievable.

“We showed how great we are as a club on and off the pitch and it’ll take me a long while to put it into words.”

Colchester finished the season as one of League One’s form sides, having taken eight points from a possible 12 in their final four games.

The U’s bounced back superbly from their 6-0 defeat at Chesterfield last month, to finish the campaign on a memorable high.

“We always felt that we’d not really had our run,” said Walker, who missed only one league game for Colchester this season.

“You always have at least run during the season and there was a feeling that we’d won games but taken one step forward and two steps back.

“In the last few weeks of the season we really picked up, after the disappointment of the Chesterfield and Coventry games.

“After 80 minutes against Fleetwood, we were down and facing League Two football.

“All of a sudden now, we’re playing League One football again next season.”

For all of the latest Colchester United news, see the Daily Gazette.