ALEX Gilbey insists he is willing to continue playing through the pain barrier for Colchester United and help them in their increasingly desperate bid to stay in League One.

The 21-year-old has been nursing a troublesome groin problem for a number of weeks but returned to the U’s starting line-up for their 1-1 draw at Crewe Alexandra, on Tuesday night.

Gilbey, who looks almost certain to leave the Weston Homes Community Stadium this summer, admits he is not fully fit.

But the former Gilberd School pupil says he is putting the injury to the back of his mind and is determined to keep battling for the U’s, who are on the brink of relegation to League Two.

Gilbey said: “I wouldn’t say that I’m fully fit but I need to be out there playing.

“I have to make sure that I rest and recuperate and make sure I’m 100 per cent then.

“It takes a lot to get into it but once I’m out there, I’m fine.

“I want to keep fighting for the cause.

“I’ve spoken to my family about it and there’s not long to go.

“I’ve also spoken to the physio Tony Flynn and he said “you can either play or you can’t” and I said to him “I want to play”.

“It doesn’t matter what it is – even if we had been relegated, I’d still put the same amount into the game and put in the same performance.

“I’m putting the injury to the back of my mind until May 8 and then re-assess it then.”

Colchester will be relegated if they fail to beat promotion-chasing Burton Albion on Saturday and could go down even if they win, if other results elsewhere go against them.

The U’s are eight points from safety with three games remaining after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser to draw with bottom club Crewe.

Gilbey added: “The gap should be six points and not eight and it’s so frustrating that we could have taken three points.

“It wasn’t the best of games but when you’re 1-0 up in those kind of games, you just have to take the three points and you can’t concede stupid goals at the end.

“The fans travelled all that way to see a performance and it was no way near good enough but the aim is to beat Burton.

“It’ll be tough but we need to pray to the Gods up there that other teams drop points and we keep picking up points.

“We keep going and there’s a great bunch of lads and staff here.

“In the long run, they’ll help this club come good again and everyone needs to stick with them.”