Colchester United returned to training on Thursday after their summer break with assistant boss Steve Whitton enthusing "let's play football".

Training began without manager Mick Wadsworth, who has been absent through illness all week, so Whitton took charge of the new-look squad at Essex University.

Whitton, who this time last season was working alongside Steve Wignall at Layer Road, revealed the early emphasis would be on ballwork.

"This year's been different in the way we've given the players more fitness programmes to stick to while they've been away.

"We'll have no problems if they've done that, and then we can get the balls out and start playing football straight away.

"That's important because we've got a number of new faces and the players have got to learn how the others think."

Whitton added: "We thought that was the best way of doing things. All the players need to be so fit these days.

"You might have been able to get away with little training through the summer years ago, but not today."

All of United's first-team squad of 22 were due in with the exception of Mark Sale who has just become a father.

So Thursday was the first day in for new boys Jamie Moralee, Sagi Burton, Joe Keith and Craig Farley.

Brian Launders and Thomas Pinault, who were at Layer Road last season but have since signed permanently, were also in attendance.

Whitton and Wadsworth will continue their search for a new goalkeeper over the next few days. Both were today sifting through the list of available players.

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