Chris Agutter is looking forward to starting the Easter period as his side prepare to face Aldershot Town, taking confidence from their recent performance despite a late defeat last time out.

The U’s boss said he takes the positives from the display on show last weekend, reinforcing the progress his side has made.

“It was a real rollercoaster of emotions,” he said.

“That probably sums up the last few months. There’s been some brilliant moments and some challenges, but I thought we were excellent.”

“It showed we’re firmly on the right track. It’s another example of us being able to compete with the best teams in the division.”

“For large parts of the game, we were outstanding.”

Agutter admitted his side’s approach shifted after taking the lead, something he feels they must learn from, but despite that, he is determined not to let a short spell overshadow the overall performance.

Heading into the clash with Aldershot, he says the mood remains positive and focused.

“When we went a goal up, we probably took a couple of backwards steps,” he said. “We started playing sideways and backwards too much and went into protection mode a little bit. It doesn’t suit us.”

“We’re not going to let 10 or 15 minutes of disappointment take away from what was an outstanding performance. We’re really pleased with where we’re at.”

“We go into the game feeling good. We’ve put some really important points on the board recently and now the challenge is to finish the season strongly.”

He emphasised the importance of recovery following a demanding fixture, with preparation centred on keeping the squad fresh, especially with two games in four days with the visit of Southend United to come on Easter Monday.

Looking ahead to Aldershot, the boss expects a difficult test against a side he rates highly, and he stressed that league position does not reflect the challenge they will pose.

“That game took a lot out of the group,” he said.

“So the focus has been on recovery and making sure we’re in the best possible condition going into the next match.”

“They’re a very good team. They’ve got threats all over the pitch and play with a good tempo.”

“They can hurt you in different ways, so it’s going to be a tough game.”

“Just because we’re above them in the table doesn’t mean anything. They can beat anyone in this league, so we’ll have to be at our very best.”

Furthermore, he said that he wants his side to focus on their own strengths while remaining disciplined defensively, and with the season entering its final stretch, he is keen for his side to build momentum rather than settle.

“We’ll double down on what we do,” he said. “If we perform to our best, we can cause any team problems.

“But we’ll also need to be solid and work just as hard as we did last weekend.”

“We’re not just looking to stay in the league. We want to finish as high as we can and build momentum going into next season.”