Relentless Ryan

Donaldson came on from the bench to turn home the winning goal at Home Park, chasing down a clearance from Colchester ‘keeper Sam Walker and deflecting the ball into an empty net.

The win means the Greens have taken 35 points from a possible 39 in their last 13 league games, propelling them to the top of the League 2 table. Donaldson is reveling in being part of a squad determined to maintain this exceptional start to a campaign.

“It’s a sign of the squad and the staff that we’ve got,” said Ryan. “We’re just relentless, trying to get as many points on the board as possible. That's 35, we’re on now, and we just want to carry on now and keep grinding.

“A win’s a win, so however we can get the three points, we’ll take it. When you’re in this run of form and everyone’s playing well, you’ve just got to grind it out and get as many wins as possible.

“You love coming into work every day when you’re on this sort of run. Everyone’s firing, training’s brilliant, we’re really sharp all over the team and squad - it’s great to be a part of.

“We said all through the week that wins are massive. We’ve been unbeaten and had two draws in this run, but a win is so much more important. The three points are vital. To win as many games as we have is a brilliant achievement, and we want to carry on.”  

Donaldson’s reward for chasing a seemingly lost cause was his second goal of the season, matching Jimmy Spencer and Connor Smith, with Jordan Slew, Sonny Bradley and Nauris Bulvitis scoring three. A number of Greens are chipping in with goals from all areas - a vital component of maintaining table-topping form.

“G (Graham Carey) is on seven, Jake (Jervis) is on five, then there’s a lot of us who are on three and two,” said Ryan. “The gaffer’s on at us; through the week he said we need to spread the goals around. We need all the help we can get.

“It’s just brilliant to get on the score-sheet and help the lads. When it comes with three points and the end of it, it always makes it nice.”