They were the better team - Knill

"I didn't think we played as well as we have been playing but it's a tough place to come this and they are a good side. I thought we were beaten by the better team and you can only be honest, I thought they were the better team and they deserved to be in front at half time when we were glad it wasn't more than one."

"We never started properly and that's what happens, you concede a goal but I also have to say that we had pretty good chances as well in the game and it could have been a lot closer. But on reflection its not the right result but they were better than us on the day."

Knill then went onto Shaun Barkers own goal, where he headed the ball back and it looped over Neil Cutler in goal. "Unfortunate and disappointing but that's what happens when people don't talk to each other. But still you can't dwell on it, we cant dwell on it and we have an important game next week the same as so we dont dwell on this and we put this behind us and look forward to the next game."

"Colchester didnt start slow, they were at it from the start and that's why they are second in the league, they're a top team and they've got top players especially wide while the two strikers were good today and a handful. They've got pace in midfield and Watto (Kevin Watson) does a great job for them and keeps the shape for the team and I think defensively they were pretty good."

However, the Ref did'nt get onto Knill Christmas card list, and "I had a feeling that the referee wasn't going to give us anything, I thought he was pretty poor all afternoon. I even said at half-time that I know theres a pretty big crowd in but theres two teams playing here!. Their second goal came from a free kick against Lee Williamson that was never ever a free kick. But you know sometimes you have to deal with the officials, and today i thought he had a poor game and i told him so at the end."

Ref - Phil Joslin

Asked what the referee had said to him "I thought he was pretty condescending and told him so as well. You can tell, I just thought from the moment i met him in the dressing room that he was here for a big day out., and he was'nt particularly aware of our plight and did'nt really care, he just thought he would please the Colchester supporters today, and he did."

The loss now means that we have to void defeat against MK Dons next Saturday to avoid the drop. Knill said, "It's always been in our hands, it would have been great to come here and win, but it was a tall ask, the positive thing is that we kept going, it would have been easy to come here and lose 3 or 4 because they were excellent. But we didnt, we kept going until the end but we gave them 2 goals."

Knill was brought back onto the subject of the ref again, "You just say it as you see it and I dont really want to talk to much about it because its gone. I thought he had a poor performance, he probably said the same sort of thing to me that I had a poor performance on the touchline. But we just get on with it and I hope that next week it will be a lot better regarding referees."

Asked if next Saturdays game is the biggest ever for Rotherham United, Knill said, "I don't know, I think it's a massive game and all I concern myself with is getting the team ready, luckily we picked up no injuries today so we will have a full squad for next week and hope we can perform better."