SKIPPER Jon Worthington was delighted for Town to prove they are no soft touch.
Rocked by defeats in the FA Cup and LDV, the gritty midfielder believes the clean sheet against Colchester was the all-important factor.
Worthington shone alongside Nathan Clarke, Pawel Abbott and keeper Paul Rachubka in a strong spine to the Town performance.
"It was very professional and very disciplined and we worked hard," he said. "Colchester are a decent team and definitely a tough one, so we had to set out our stall and battle for everything.
"The lads did really well and it was important for us to show that we haven't become a soft touch away from home.
"We've had some good results on our travels this time but lately that has been overshadowed by the goals we've been conceding, so we needed to keep it tight for the whole 90 minutes."
Worthington felt Town's Essex training camp prepared them well.
"The facilities were excellent, we worked hard and the long trip was out of us by the time of the game," he said. "The clean sheet was overdue, but we deserved it because we worked so hard.
"A clean sheet is what we've been striving for, we were solid all through midfield and at the back and, while we didn't create as many chances as normal, we could have had all three points.You would back Pav to score when he's in, but the keeper made a good save."
