New Colchester United signing Karleigh Osborne is hoping to play his part in another escape act after swapping a promotion push for a survival battle.

The 26-year-old centre-back is set to make his U’s debut at Doncaster Rovers tomorrow after joining them on loan from League One leaders Bristol City until the end of the season, Osborne says he is happy to join Colchester and insists he had no qualms about moving from a promotion-chasing side to a club battling the drop.

And the defender already has experience of successfully helping a side beat relegation.

He helped the Robins finish in a mid-table position last season, having joined them midway through the campaign when they rooted to the bottom of the table.

Osborne said: “When I first went to Bristol they were down there and hopefully I helped them secure their safety - hopefully I can do the same thing here.

“It seems like there’s a good team spirit in the changing room and it looks like we’ll push up the league, so we’ll be looking to do that as soon as possible.

“There’s definitely talent here and I think the key thing is consistency now and grinding out results when needed.

“It’s a young group but it will come in time and if I can help that, then I’ll be happy.”

For more on this story and a three-page preview of the U's game at Doncaster Rovers, see Friday's Daily Gazette.