Aidy Boothroyd lamented his Colchester side's performance following the 2-2 draw against Exeter.
Clive Platt struck his second goal of the game with four minutes to go to clinch a point for promotion-chasing Colchester at a rain-sodden Weston Homes Community Stadium, after the Grecians had led twice in the match.
Stuart Fleetwood and Ryan Harley, a 25-yard free-kick, were both on target for Exeter.
Colchester substitute Medy Elito was also shown a straight red card for his lunge on Bertie Cozic as the spoils were shared.
Boothroyd said: "We didn't start at all well and Exeter adapted to the conditions far better than us. They played better than us and it's very rare that I say that because we have such a good team.
"We weren't at it from the start. You can say we had a lot of character and yes we did to come back into it, but we should never have been in that position. We have a bit of work to do now."
