Lambert remained positive despite their first league loss since December

Colchester United manager Paul Lambert refused to be downbeat despite Tuesday night's 1-0 defeat by Tranmere.

Ryan Shotton's 49th-minute goal at the Community Stadium consigned the U's to their first loss of 2009 and ended a run of nine league games unbeaten.

"They deserved to beat us, but I can't be too critical of the lads who've been terrific and we just have to bounce back," Lambert told BBC Essex.

"I'm not going to get too despondent considering what the lads have done."

"People may think it was a major surprise, but Tranmere on the night designed to beat us," he added.

A win would have moved the Essex side up to eighth in League One, but Lambert said he would not allow the defeat to put them off their stride.

"We've never once got blase about what we'd done," he explained.

"We said it was a good run but that it had to come to an end at some time, but it's how you bounce back from it [that's important]."

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