Albion boss Steve Coppell blamed a freak goal for his side's second defeat of the season.

Wayne Andrews unintentionally scored with a cross in Saturday's 1-0 setback at Colchester.

The former Oldham forward's fiercely struck 67th minute effort flew over keeper Ben Roberts.

Coppell said: "Andrews scored just at the stage we were trying to impose our style on the game.

"I think he will be waiting an awful long time before he scores another one like that.

"Put it this way, if he meant to put it in the top corner like that he wouldn't be playing for Colchester, he would be playing in the Premiership. It was a mis-hit centre."

Andrews admitted his third goal of the season was a fluke.

"To be fair I was just trying to put it into the box," he said. "I got a bit of a strike on it, but I didn't expect it to go in.

"I think the last time I scored one of those I was about 11 and playing in the Sunday League. I couldn't believe it.

"I couldn't see it from where I was, but the boys said it flew in. I spoke to our goalie Simon Brown and he said it was going so fast that the keeper (Roberts) didn't have any time to set himself."

Albion have now taken only two points from their last three games and dropped to eighth, but Coppell is not panicking.

"It is still very much early days," he said.

"It's not a question of lifting the players.

"Their natural buoyancy will make sure they are up for the next challenge, but we really need to get back to what we are good at."

Nathan Jones, suspended from the last three matches, is likely to return for the visit of bottom club Chesterfield tomorrow night.

Former Albion striker Jamie Moralee faces a clash against his old club when Nationwide Conference outfit Forest Green Rovers come to Withdean on October 14 in the southern section of the LDV Vans Trophy.

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