Colchester United’s supporters can play their part in helping them achieve their promotion goal, this season.

That is the view of defender Frankie Kent, who believes the backing of the U’s faithful can be influential in their quest to seal a top-seven finish in League Two.

Colchester host Barnet tomorrow at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, where they have received excellent support throughout the campaign.

Kent said: “The fans can be massive.

“I think in the last two home games against Coventry and Newport who are up there and looking to get promoted themselves we’ve put in really good performances and the fans helped us along with that.

“They’re brilliant at home and away so we can’t ask for much more from them – it has to come from ourselves.

“We as players like and really enjoy playing at home.

“We had some good form there and won the last two there, so hopefully we can make it three at the weekend and get a good run going.”

Kent has not given up on securing a top-three finish with Colchester, this season.

The U’s lie 12 points off the top three with 12 games remaining and have played more matches than the majority of the teams currently residing above them in the table.

Colchester are still to play seven of the sides above them and centre-back Kent feels automatic promotion is still achievable.

“I don’t think the top three is out of reach, because I think the team is good enough to go on a really good run,” said the 22-year-old.

“We know that we have to go into every game rightly prepared and with a good attitude.

“I was injured towards the end of last season but we’ve been talking about it and I think we’re on the same sort of amount of points as we were this time, last year.

“We’ve got a lot of the top eight or nine teams still left to play and I feel like the run-in goes in our favour.

“I think we probably play better against the bigger and better teams, so hopefully we can get a good run going.

“We know some of the teams above us have got games in hand on us but any team can beat anyone in this league.

“Other results can go our way but the main focus is on us and us doing the right things.”

Colchester are desperate for points tomorrow but so are their struggling opponents Barnet, who are six points adrift of safety at the foot of the table.

The U’s had to rely on a late Sammie Szmodics winner to clinch a 1-0 victory at The Hive last November and defender Kent is expecting a difficult game, against Graham Westley’s side.

He said: “We can’t afford to be complacent.

“We played them earlier on in the season and it was a really tough game.

“Barnet are fighting for something as well as we are, so we know we have to go into the game right and get the job done.

“They will be tough and physical – they’ve got the big guy (John Akinde) up front and we know it will be a tough game.

“They’re fighting for something as we are.

“We know the performance and result at Crewe wasn’t good enough and we’ve tried to put it right in training, this week.

“Everyone’s worked very hard and we’re looking to put things right, this weekend.

“It’s really important for us to get another unbeaten run going and it’s one of our main objectives, to get a decent amount of wins and try and get into the play-off spots.

“But we know it’s going to be tough and we know that we have to be on it every single week to make sure that happens.”