Colchester chief executive Marie Partner set her sights on a quickfire return to the Coca-Cola Championship after the club's relegation was confirmed.

The Us dropped back to League One after FA Cup semi-finalists Barnsley registered a 3-0 win at promotion-chasing Watford while fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester still have to play each other.

Partner told the club's official website: "We are doing what we can to make sure we've got every chance for an immediate return. There will be a lot of people hurting. We may be down now but there are a lot of positive things going on.

"As disappointed as we all are we now have to kick on with what we've been doing over the past six months, which is to step up our planning and preparation to ensure we get back up there as soon as possible.

"I am sure the players will look to instil faith in the fans with some positive results in the final games in order to encourage them to stick with us and be part of our hopes and dreams for next season and beyond."