Now 35 points and 19 places separate the clubs but Jewell is adamant that complacency is the last thing on Latics' minds.
He said: "The Colchester game is a massive one for us, just like they all will be until the end of the season.
"We won't be taking it easy against them as I remember last season we lost twice to Wrexham and Port Vale – that shows we haven't always been at our best against the so-called weaker teams.
"We must treat Colchester exactly the same as we treated Bristol City last week.
"They were the last team to beat us in the league so we are aware of the threat they pose.
"We will be doing our best to put that result right and hopefully we can get a win on Saturday."
Jewell is expected to have a fully-fit squad available, with Nathan Ellington appearing to be winning the battle to overcome the shoulder injury which has been troubling him since New Year's Day.
The injury meant he was on the bench for the FA Cup game at Stoke on January 4, while the Duke played 80 minutes of last Friday's win at Bristol City before being substituted.
A number of the first team pool were given a run out in the reserves against Wrexham at the Racecourse Ground yesterday.
Scott Green, Jason Jarrett, Mike Flynn, Ian Breckin and Steve McMillan all featured, while veteran keeper Dave Beasant also got the chance to pull on his gloves.
Youngsters David Moore and Joey Roberts were on target in a 2-1 victory, with Beasant making two fine second half saves to preserve the lead.
Meanwhile, Lee Ashcroft's future is again up in the air after he returned to Latics from his loan spell at Huddersfield.
The 30-year-old striker moved to the McAlpine Stadium before Christmas after a local businessman agreed to pay his wages for a month.
He played four times for the Terriers but a slight injury forced him to miss the final game of his spell on the other side of the Pennines.
Huddersfield boss Mick Wadsworth is keen to extend Ashcroft's stay but problems off the pitch means that is proving difficult for the time being.
Wadsworth's position is under threat after a poor run of results while the club continues to endure severe financial problems.
It is the second time Ashcroft has left Latics to go out on loan this season, having joined Port Vale for a month in the autumn.
His contract runs out at the end of the season and he is thought to want to move on before then.
Article from the Wigan Evening Post.