Interim manager Matthew Etherington was delighted with the guts shown by his Colchester players as they beat Grimsby 3-2 in their League Two showdown on Tuesday night.
Etherington took charge for the first time at Blundell Park after Colchester sacked Ben Garner and the former Premier League midfielder oversaw a deserved victory with Joe Taylor, Zach Mitchell and Arthur Read all on target.
Grimsby had taken the lead when goalkeeper Owen Goodman turned into his own net in bizarre fashion, with Donovan Wilson also scoring for the hosts.
Colchester had been consigned to four straight defeats before their midweek trip to Cleethorpes and that, ultimately, cost Garner his job as manager.
Etherington said: “You can go through all the tactical stuff you want and that’s all important, but heart and desire are the most important things.
“We showed that in abundance tonight with blocks, tackles and our effort.
“It was nothing short of brilliant and full of guts.
“That was the most pleasing thing for me, but we eventually got a foothold in the game [after the opener] and then played some really, really good stuff.
“You can’t blame Owen [Goodman] for the first goal.
“It’s taken a deflection and there was so much spin on the ball. I could see it from where I was in the dugout.
“He then made a brilliant save at 2-2 when he tips that one on to the post.”
Grimsby manager Paul Hurst said: “I’m not going to come out here and make excuses, but I will always be honest with what I see.
“In the second half in particular, it was one-way traffic.
“That [third] goal is from nothing and we had a really good chance right at the end and their goalkeeper has made two good saves.
“I can’t go and kick a bin, throw something or go mad at them, because I genuinely don’t think the players deserve that, but we have lost the game again.
“Colchester have had three attempts on target and they’ve scored three goals, but that’s happened far too often, so maybe it’s not meant to be.”
Grimsby were gift-wrapped their opener after seven minutes when Will Greenidge hacked back towards his own goalkeeper and Goodman could do nothing but help that wayward pass into the net.
Read teed up Taylor for the equaliser three minutes later as the latter finished low and powerfully into the corner, while Colchester then went in front 10 minutes before half-time as Mitchell nodded in from a Read corner.
Grimsby improved after the interval and Wilson made it 2-2 with a neat left-footed strike with 52 minutes on the clock.
Goodman kept Colchester in the match with two stunning saves and that proved to be telling with Read going on to grab a 64th-minute winner.
Ancelotti: 'Just a matter of time' until Mbappe breaks goal drought
Carlo Ancelotti insists "it is just a matter of time" until Kylian Mbappe breaks his goal drought, with the Real Madrid forward having failed to find the net in his last four appearances.
The former Paris Saint-Germain forward has endured a tricky start to life with Los Blancos since making the switch as a free agent.
Despite scoring eight goals in 16 appearances across all competitions, Mbappe is yet to truly catch fire at Santiago Bernabeu, where his displays have been subjected to widespread criticism.
The France forward has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04, while he was left out of Les Bleus' squad for their recent Nations League matches after going over 400 minutes without scoring.
Mbappe is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes in his final campaign with PSG, but Ancelotti is confident the tables will turn.
"It happens to all great strikers," the Italian told reporters ahead of Madrid's clash with Leganes on Sunday. "He can get frustrated, but that's not his case. I see him motivated and happy to train with his team-mates.
"Sooner or later, he will break that streak of games in which he hasn't scored goals. Tomorrow, he will have a great game because it is just a matter of time. He has incredible quality and, sooner or later, he will show it."
Ancelotti also addressed suggestions Mbappe should be switched from the central attacking position to the left wing, in place of top scorer Vinicius Junior.
"I don't think Kylian has ever asked me for a position on the pitch, everyone wants to start in the starting 11," Los Blancos' head coach added. "But Mbappe and Vinicius don't have a fixed position on the pitch. It all depends on the match."
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
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