COLCHESTER United boss Steve Ball felt Southend United’s change of style enabled them to punish his side at Roots Hall.

Ball had been hoping training on Christmas Day would give the U’s an advantage over a Blues side who had been given the day off.

But the Shrimpers scored twice inside the opening 23 minutes to secure a 2-0 victory, much to the frustration of Ball whose side have now suffered three successive defeats.

“We worked all week on the fact that we wanted to start well but we showed naivety in giving away some silly free-kicks inviting a team who have obviously changed their style of play to put it in the box at any opportunity," said Ball.

“We gave away awful free-kicks and again, what seems a common theme right now in not picking up from set-pieces, which we’d worked on all week.

“It’s happened again – we started the game so poorly and it’s cost us.

“I think I counted six free-kicks given away in the first 15 minutes and it was sloppy, lazy defending, not working your feet, not standing up and it’s unforgiveable.

“We controlled the game in the second half but when you start a game like that, you give yourself a mountain to climb and you’re always going to come up short.”

Akinola headed in unmarked from Sam Hart’s free-kick, to give Southend a ninth-minute lead.

And when Dieng doubled the hosts’ lead midway through the first half after slotting in following Kyle Taylor’s run and pass, it left Colchester up against it.

“The first goal knocked us back and gave them the impetus to hurt us again through the centre of the pitch,” said Ball.

“Cliché as it sounds, goals change games and we wanted to come here and get a good foothold but it does come back again I’m afraid to giving up cheap opportunities in our box and getting an early goal.

“All of that matters so much because I felt had we got the first goal, we’d have certainly been winners of the match with the prep that we’ve done.

“The first goal was vital – it shouldn’t be everything but it certainly hurt us today, in a big way.”

“We worked all week on wanting to start well. We knew they hadn’t come in yesterday and we had so we prepared properly. But we showed naivety in giving away silly free-kicks against a team who have changed their style. They’re putting the ball in the box at every opportunity now and we gave away awful free-kicks and it’s cost us. I counted six free kicks we gave away in the first 15 minutes. It’s sloppy and lazy defending.”