Chris Porter admitted his consolation goal counted for little after Colchester United were thrashed 4-1 at Millwall.

The U’s club captain came off the bench as a half-time substitute to bag his first goal since April, having spent much of the season on the sidelines due to injury.

Porter’s well-taken strike gave Colchester brief hope of a comeback, after it left them trailing 2-1 with most of the second half still to play.

However, Millwall responded almost immediately to restore their two-goal advantage and added another goal near the end, to leave the U’s and Porter disappointed.

Porter said: “It was good to get a goal but I was disappointed with the result again.

“Of course you want to play well but it’s about what the team does and I’m not happy about anything.

“At half-time, we said that the next goal was crucial and we got it but then we conceded another goal and that kills you.

“Millwall were a solid team and they knew what they were doing – we knew that before we came into the game.

“For me, they were there for the taking and it was disappointing.”

Porter admits there was some heated discussion among Colchester’s players in the aftermath of their defeat at The Den.

He said: “We’ve had a discussion and we’re a bunch of men at the end of the day.

“If you’re not happy with a certain member of your team you’ll tell them.

“Obviously they tell you what they think and arguments break out but that’s because people care.

“I feel a bit sorry for the defenders; they’re getting stick because we’re conceding all of the time.

“But as a team we defend from the front and we have to be solid as a unit and at the minute, we’re not.”

Porter is hoping that his impressive performance at Millwall will help him secure a place in Colchester’s starting line-up for their important clash with bottom side Crewe Alexandra tomorrow night.

“I’m ready now – I’m obviously short of games but I can only get that through playing and hopefully I’ll get picked in the next few games,” added the former Sheffield United striker.

“We’re at home and we know we can beat any team on our day so we should be more than confident of winning.”

For five pages of coverage of the U's game with Millwall, see Monday's Daily Gazette.