The U's have lost 3-1 against Notts County, as the Magpies kept up their strong recent record at Meadow Lane.
County opened the scoring after only eight minutes, with centre half Haydn Hollis heading home after a goalmouth scramble.
A fantastic strike from Chris Porter made it 1-1 but Shola Ameobi regained the lead for the hosts on thirty four minutes.
Both sides could have scored in the dying stages of the half, but Sam Walker made a great fingertip save from Jon Stead second before Porter headed straight at Collin in the home goal.
Ameobi got his second, and the hosts third, when he powerfully headed home a Grant free kick on seventy two minutes.
Boss John McGreal was able to field the same starting line-up that beat fellow promotion hopefuls Luton Town seven days ago.
And the bench was the same as it was against the Hatters, as the U’s went in search of the vital away win at Meadow Lane.
They had to contend with a confident County side, and that confidence was evident from the first whistle.
Jon Stead flicked an overhead shot just wide of the post on two minutes, and it only took them another six to open the scoring.
A long ball into the area evaded George Elokobi and after Ameobi hit the bar, the ball was kept in the U’s box and Hollis finally headed home low into the bottom corner.
Stead then got himself into a good position, but shot straight at Walker and another overhead kick, this time from Jorge Grant, also found the U’s stopper.
Having been under the cosh, the U’s equalised on twenty minutes, with Porter finding the net with a fantastic effort from outside the box.
He picked up a throw from Richard Brindley, made ground across from the right and unleashed a curler into the top corner that gave Adam Collin no chance in the home goal.
Six minutes later, Elokobi was disappointed with his header from a corner, having beaten his man to the ball.
Notts County got themselves ahead again with eleven minutes before half time, and once again it came from a second phase.
Grant really should have scored but County kept up the pressure and when it fell to Ameobi on the edge, he smashed a low shot past Walker to make it 2-1.
It nearly got worse as the clock ticked over the forty five minute mark, but Walker dived full length to his right to tip a Stead shot wide.
Porter had the final chance of the half, a minute into stoppage time, but his downward header ended up comfortably in Collin’s hands and the U’s went in 2-1 down.
Matt Briggs replaced a groggy Cameron James at the break, but the second half started in similar fashion to the first as the hosts were on top.
Stead had two early efforts, one saved and one wide, before he put his third shot into the top corner, only to be denied by an offside flag.
The all important third goal did come for County though, with Ameobi heading home powerfully from Grant’s free kick.
That came on seventy two minutes and three later, Milsom hit the U’s post after good work from Ameobi.
Tarique Fosu and Macauley Bonne replaced Lapslie and Pyke, but the U’s couldn’t get back into the game.
Grant, who will wonder how he didn’t score, hit another effort straight at Walker near the end, but the hosts were good value for their win.