Tony Humes wants his Colchester United players to rise to the challenge of taking on Reading tonight.

And the U’s boss believes a good run in this season’s Capital One Cup can help stir excitement, at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Colchester have bowed out at the first round stage of the League Cup in each of the last four seasons.

They will be hoping to put that right against Championship side Reading, who reached last season’s FA Cup semi-final.

Humes said: “It’s a great challenge for the players.

“It’s a great proposition, playing against a Championship club.

“Reading are a big club so it’s an opportunity for the players to pit their wits against quality players.

“We saw last year when we got to the third round of the FA Cup that it stirs that excitement.

“You’re playing against better players and it gives our players the opportunity to test themselves and step up to it.

“You’d like to think that we can give them a good game.

“It’s another home game and hopefully the crowd will come and support us as well as they did (against Blackpool).”

For more on this story and a full preview of the U's game with Reading, see Tuesday's Daily Gazette.