Two goals in three second half minutes sent Town to a second defeat of the season away at Colchester United, with Simon Weaver's side on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline for the second time in League Two.
Despite Town having created almost all the chances in the first half, The U's broke the deadlock through Callum Harriott's deflected effort after 52 minutes, which was swiftly followed by Ben Stevenson's curling finish.Jon Stead headed Town back to within touching distance just after the hour mark, but an equaliser proved elusive, with Brendan Kiernan's header striking the upright in the final ten minutes.
Weaver named an unchanged starting line-up from Tuesday night's win at Grimsby with James Belshaw making his 150th appearance between the sticks, and aiming for a 50th clean sheet in Town colours.
After an opening to the game that saw Calvin Miller and Connor Hall have attempts on goal kept out, the first real opportunity fell to George Thomson, though the midfielder could only slice wide after receiving the ball from Jack Muldoon.
Town continued to knock on the door, with Lloyd Kerry going close before Muldoon's shot fizzed across the face of goal, inches away from being turned home.
Aaron Martin nearly profited from a defensive lapse just after the midway point in the half, stealing possession from Cohen Bramall, but seeing Dean Gerken throw himself at the striker's feet to block the finish.
That would be the last notable involvement for Martin after a painful looking collision with the post saw the frontman replaced by Jon Stead on 37 minutes.
The hosts enjoyed their best spell of the half in it's closing minutes, but found Belshaw in inspired form to keep the score level at the break. First the Town stopper kept out Noah Chilvers' powerful low strike, before palming away Harry Pell's goalbound effort.
The second half looked like it would continue in the same vein as the first with Town pressing for an opener, Will Smith heading just wide of goal before a piece of brave goalkeeping denied Thomson.
It would be the hosts who took the lead though as Harriott's low strike took an unfortunate deflection off the legs of Smith before clipping Belshaw on it's way over the line.
There was nothing fortunate about Colchester's second two minutes later though as a quick break away down the right resulted in the ball being worked to Stevenson on the edge of the area who confidently curled home.
The two goal lead lasted just seven minutes though as Stead climbed highest to meet Thomson's corner and claim his first league goal of the season.
While Town pressed for an equaliser, Colchester threatened on the break through the pace of Jevani Brown, though Belshaw did just about enough to keep his side in with a fighting chance going into the final 20 minutes.
Kiernan went closest to sending Town home with a point, but his header from Dan Jones' long throw bounced back off the upright, leaving Town with no points for just the second time this season.
Town: Belshaw, Fallowfield, Falkingham, Smith, Burrell (Jones 82), Thomson, Martin (Stead 37), Kerry, Muldoon, Miller (Kiernan 57), Hall
Subs not used: Cracknell, Kirby, Walker
Goals: Stead 61
Colchester: Gerken, Welch-Hayes, Bramall, Smith, Pell, Brown (Norris 71), Harriott, Chilvers (Sowunmi 71), Eastman, Poku (Senior 76), Stevenson
Subs not used: George, Scarlett, Gambin, Bohui
Goals: Harriott 52, Stevenson 54
Booked: Brown, Norris
Referee: W Finnie