COLCHESTER United striker Frank Nouble says he and his team-mates will have an entirely positive mindset heading into tomorrow’s clash at Salford City.

The U’s are in need of a pick-me-up after losing back-to-back league matches for the first time since October, having been defeated by both Grimsby Town and Port Vale.

Two lacklustre performances led to criticism in some quarters, with both results tough to take after the euphoria of a 16-match unbeaten run and stunning performance against high-flying Plymouth Argyle.

However, Nouble says training has been upbeat and insists all criticism has been “parked”.

“After beating Plymouth, everyone was buzzing,” said the frontman.

“But after losing a couple, it was like we’d done something terribly wrong.

“Criticism happens in every walk of life but it’s about dealing with it, parking it and moving on.

“We certainly won’t play with any criticism in our minds.

“In every game, we want to put on a show and get a result.

“If that’s not happening on a particular weekend, it’s frustrating for everyone.

“We can understand that because we’re professionals and human beings.

“We’re disappointed, too, but as long as we react well, we’ll have nothing to worry about.

“We know we’re a good side and if we go away from that mentality, we might be in trouble.”

Nouble was an impressed spectator, watching on TV as Salford beat Newport County on penalties to book their place in the Leasings.com Trophy final at Wembley Stadium.

However, he is confident that if he and his team-mates perform to their potential, they are more than capable of bringing three points back to north Essex.

“Obviously, our last two results weren’t ideal but hopefully we can start another run tomorrow,” said the 28-year-old.

“We have to react in a positive manner but it’ll be tough against Salford.

“I watched them on TV on Wednesday.

“They look a hard-working team but it’s down to us to put a positive performance in.

“Hopefully then the result will take care of itself.

“We didn’t play well last week and the result tells you that.

“But there’s no point in having any stress or worries or losing any sleep.

“We’ve got another game coming up and if we win that, we’ll be pushing on again.

“We’ve got 12 games left and need to treat them all like cup finals. Every match is like a play-off final.”

Nouble would love to play his part in a strong finish to the season, chipping in with more goals.

However, he says results are far more important than individual accolades.

“I’d love to score more goals,” he said.

“Every attacking player would say the same thing.

“But I get more satisfaction from the team winning.

“We’ve all got a job to do and whoever’s out there knows their role.

“This is my second season here and we’re looking to do a lot of good things.

“As long as I’ve been here, we’ve generally always reacted well when a performance or result hasn’t gone our way and this is the first time we’ve lost two in a row since October.

“For us, it’s all about Salford now. Nothing else. We can’t look too far forward and we can’t look backwards, either.”