Colchester manager John Ward took no comfort from their promotion rivals also slipping up at the weekend.
The Us are still just two points off second spot despite Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Swindon, while fellow high-flyers Brighton and Huddersfield also crashed to defeats.
But Ward said: "That doesn't make me feel any better.
"If we'd have taken a point or won the game that would have been more pleasing to hear."
Source: PA