Up until only a few weeks ago, Colchester United looked like they were going to suffer the same sad fate as Crewe Alexandra and leave League One with a whimper.

The U’s ultimately may find themselves in the same division as the Railwaymen next season but if they do, it is clear they will not go down without a fight.

The desperate plight of Crewe, along with the likes of Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers in the higher divisions, illustrates that of clubs who have been on a downward spiral for some time.

They are stuck in the proverbial rut, in a desperate cycle of losing week in, week out and willing for their miserable seasons to be over.

That is far from the case at the U’s, even though their battle to remain in the third tier is still a tough one despite their impressive upturn in form.

Aside from their battle for points, Colchester’s form over the last six weeks or so has been most encouraging and a real tonic, given the troubles they experienced earlier in the campaign.

Kevin Keen’s rejuvenated side have claimed three wins in their last four matches, have suffered only two defeats in their last 11 matches and have kept three successive clean sheets.

Indeed, they have now not conceded in more than five and a half hours of football, a telling statistic in itself given the defensive woes they have experienced for much of the season.

A settled back four has been key to the U’s improvements at the back and confidence, which the U’s have it in abundance at the moment, is a big thing in football.

Colchester’s improved recent form might ultimately not be enough to keep them in League One; they lie eight points adrift of safety with five games remaining – three of which are against current top-eight sides.

Staying up still remains a tall order.

But momentum is key in football and just as a losing cycle can be hard to take, it is important the U’s take a winning mentality into next season – regardless of the division they are in.