John McGreal wants his Colchester United players to rediscover their feel-good factor this weekend - and keep their League Two play-off hopes alive.

The U’s head to fifth-placed Mansfield Town on Saturday aiming to revive their quest for a top-seven finish, which has faltered after damaging back-to-back defeats.

Colchester, who lie seven points off the play-off positions with 11 games remaining, are desperate for a win to put pressure on the teams above them.

And ahead of their trip to Field Mill, head coach McGreal says it is time for them to show their fighting qualities.

McGreal said: “There’s no better feeling come 5pm on Saturday of having those three points and that’s what I want to get back to, that feel-good factor.

“It’s about getting that unity back again and it’s amazing what a win can do, so that’s what we’ll be trying to do.

“We’ll be trying to keep our season going – that’s what we’ll be trying to implement into the boys.

“We’ve got two months left of the season and it’s now about trying to keep it alive.

“We know we haven’t done particularly well of late and that we’ve let ourselves down in the last couple of games but it’s now a case of seeing what we’ve got, as we’ve got all the teams to play around us.

“We want to stay in and around the play-offs and the only way to do that is to put in good, strong-willed and determined performances to try and get the points.

“It’s about building a siege mentality – we have 11 games to go and it’s all about positive thinking.”