In the absence of any action in the top two divisions at the weekend due to the international break, there’s a good chance there may have been one or two neutrals present at Colchester United’s home game with Exeter City.

If that was indeed the case, then there is an even better chance that said neutrals will have left the Weston Homes Community Stadium pretty satisfied at the level of entertainment they had witnessed.

After all, what is there not to enjoy about a five-goal thriller packed with goals, flowing, attacking football, great goalkeeping, thrills and spills, passion, commitment and a touch of controversy?

Well plenty actually, if you’re a U’s supporter still smarting after their first home defeat of the campaign.

This might have been a great advertisement for League Two football but that will mean little to a Colchester side on the wrong end of a five-goal barnstormer.

Neither will it presumably provide any solace to John McGreal.

While the U’s coach was very diplomatic and sporting in his post-match analysis of the game, privately he must have been smarting at his team’s surprisingly disjointed display against an Exeter side who fielded a 4-5-1 formation in order to guard against their hosts’ attacking threat.

Colchester’s inability to keep possession in key areas was one of the main reasons for their defeat.

But perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the performance was the standard of their defensive display, an area that had been much improved so far under McGreal prior to the visit of the Grecians.

It was unfortunately an unwanted regression to some of last season’s porous performances at the back, where opponents struck with alarming regularity.

As frustrating as it was though, this is only one defeat and Colchester’s first in front of their own fans this season.

The U's responded to their first league defeat at Portsmouth last month by winning at Wycombe Wanderers and a similar reaction is in order, following this setback.

Their home game against Blackpool this weekend provides the ideal immediate opportunity for the U’s to show to their fans that they are a far better side than they demonstrated against Exeter.