Colchester United defender Tom Eastman admitted defensive errors cost them dear following their 2-1 defeat at Tranmere Rovers.

The U’s contributed to their own downfall at Prenton Park, after two lapses in concentration at the back resulted in the hosts taking a two-goal lead.

And although substitute Clinton Morrison pulled a goal back in stoppage-time for Colchester, it was not enough to prevent them from falling to only their third away defeat of the season.

Eastman said: “It’s not like us to make defensive mistakes this season but they’ve cost us the game.

“I’m not sure that we’ve given away too many goals from corners this season, so it’s obviously something that we’ve got to work at.

“We should have dealt with the two set pieces.

“We had so many good chances but they really cost us.

“It was a bad first goal to concede and it was a really soft penalty, so we definitely have to learn from that.

“With our players we know that we can get goals and it’s disappointing to come away with a defeat.

“We were dominant in the first 20 minutes and we definitely should have scored in the first half and got that first goal.

“We had so many chances to score and when we did, it unfortunately came a bit too late for us and we couldn’t get back into it.

“It was an opportunity for us to move up the league, so it was very disappointing.

“They’re below us in the table and it’s a game we felt that we should have won and it’s disappointing we didn’t do that.”

See Monday's Daily Gazette for more on this story and all of the latest Colchester United news, including five pages of pictures, analysis and reaction to the U's defeat at Tranmere Rovers.