Colchester United have experience to beat drop - Gavin Massey
Last updated on .From the section Football
Colchester United forward Gavin Massey says his side's previous battles with relegation will help them this season.
The U's, currently 21st in League One, have successfully avoided the drop in each of the last two campaigns.
"We've been there and done it before," 22-year-old Massey told BBC Look East.
"The last two seasons we've been in relegation fights. I've been there, Tom Eastman has been there, Sam Walker has been there. We know what we're capable of doing."
Colchester finished 20th in the 2012-13 season, one place above the drop zone, and last term they won three of their last five games to fend off a relegation threat and finish 16th.
The U's have maintained their League One status since dropping out of the Championship in 2008, despite a dramatic reduction in the playing budget over the past three years.
"The league's really tight," said Massey, who scored the opening goal in Saturday's 2-0 win over Leyton Orient.
"We're 10 points from the play-offs. Nobody's pushing the panic buttons at the moment."
Meanwhile, the club will not appeal against Elliott Hewitt's red card for a tackle on Orient's Romain Vincelot, meaning the defender will serve a three-match ban.
