John McGreal has joked he could write a book about his first-ever season as a Football League manager, such was its eventful nature.

Should the Colchester United head coach choose to produce his literary account of the U’s eventful campaign just gone, it might well fall under the category of thriller.

McGreal and his U’s side have certainly experienced an action-packed year back in League Two, following their relegation from the third tier.

They went from occupying a top-four spot in the opening weeks to tumbling into the relegation zone in November, before recovering superbly to just miss out on the play-offs by a single point on the final day of the season to finish in eighth spot.

McGreal, who succeeded Kevin Keen as Colchester head coach at the end of last season, has had to cope with a lengthy injury list for much of the campaign – and admits it has been a rollercoaster time.

McGreal said: “My first season in management threw everything at me.

“There’s been highs, lows and then really big highs, towards the end of the season.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the first season I’ve had being the manager of this football club – I’ve always said that it’s a great opportunity to manage this club.

“Finishing eighth and just a point off the play-offs in our first season is fantastic.

“We had three or four different teams throughout the season because of injuries and we only missed out by a point on the play-offs so there’s a lot to build on from the season. It’s good to have that momentum and it also helps with trying to tie these boys down, as well as attracting other players coming in.

“It’s been a successful season and there’s a lot of players that have connected with the fans.

“You only have to be at the forums that I’ve been to of late and there’s a real buzz about certain players.

“The supporters have all got their own individual players that they like and it’s not just the one big name player that they like.

“There are five or six players that they like which is great and that proves again that the individuals have had a great season but also collectively as a group, the team has had a great season.

“We’re hoping to keep that bond and keep that strength of character that we’ve got within the group and hopefully we can have a really big push, next season.”