JOHN McGreal says Colchester United’s opening-day trip to play Hartlepool United is a match to look forward to.

New first-team coach McGreal will take charge of the U’s for the first time when the U’s make the 530-mile round trip to Victoria Park to take on Pools on August 6, in their League Two curtain-raiser.

Colchester follow that up with a home game against Cambridge United on August 13, which will see Abbey Stadium assistant manager Joe Dunne return for the first time since leaving his role as U's boss in September, 2014.

A home match against newly-promoted Grimsby Town and then trips to play Portsmouth and old foes Wycombe Wanderers complete Colchester’s opening month of league matches, after the fixtures were released yesterday.

McGreal told the Daily Gazette: “A lot of people would have wanted to have been at home on the opening day but you have to play each team twice at some point and we’ll get a very long fixture out of the way early doors.

“It’s good for us and one to look forward to.

“We’ll be fresh and raring to go and it’s a new group of lads hungry to do well.

“I always really looked forward to the fixtures coming out as a player and even more so now as a manager.

“I’ve spoken to (assistant manager) Steve Ball about it and he’s just as excited as I am.

“We start with a trip to play Hartlepool United and then we welcome our old manager Joe Dunne back with a game against Cambridge United.

“You also automatically look at things like who you’re playing during the festive period and the final games of the season and it’s something that everyone up and down the country looks forward to.”

Meanwhile, McGreal says it was important Colchester strengthened their central defensive options after signing experienced defender Luke Prosser.

The 28-year-old has joined the U’s, who conceded 99 goals in League One last season.

“We were looking to try and get Luke in from the very beginning and we’re very pleased to sign him,” said McGreal.

“Luke knows League Two inside out – he’s won promotion from the division twice and he helped Northampton Town get up while he was on loan there last season.

“He still has the feel good factor from doing that and hopefully that will continue while he is here at Colchester.

“Luke has only just turned 28 which is an ideal age and he’s someone who’s hungry to do well.

“We had to try and address what happened last season, with the conceding of goals.

“Unfortunately, a lot of players got injured in that area last year which didn’t help and we need that competition, which we didn’t tend to have in that area last season for one reason or another.

“We have numbers there now and it’ll give us that extra bit of steel and competition.”