WAYNE Brown says his Colchester United players have benefited from having a full week to prepare for their clash with Carlisle United.

And the U’s head coach has hinted he could change his starting line-up for tomorrow’s game at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Colchester are preparing for their first home game of the new League Two season and are looking to bounce back following their 3-2 opening-day defeat at Northampton Town, last weekend.

A host of U’s first-team players including Frank Nouble, Cameron Coxe and Alex Newby featured in a friendly at non-league outfit Stowmarket Town in midweek and boss Brown says that can be beneficial.

Brown said: “It’s about reflecting, debriefing and moving on swiftly.

“We’ve had a whole week to prepare for Carlisle which is good.

“It has given us that little bit of extra time which is beneficial.

“We got some important minutes into the lads that didn’t start the game at Northampton.

"It was a real good exercise on Tuesday evening, at Stowmarket to try and get the lads in the best shape that they can.

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“The reason we put minutes into the lads who didn’t start at Northampton on Tuesday is that it does give us the opportunity to try and put people into the team where we feel it’s going to be a benefit to us getting three points.

“Carlisle is going to be a little bit of a different animal to Northampton, as will Ipswich on Tuesday.

“They’re all different, they all need to be taken in isolation and ultimately it’s our job to prepare the lads in the best way that we can.

“You have to take every game in isolation.

“Yes we are at home, yes we’re against a different team with a different way that they go about things to Northampton.

“It’s about us coming up with a plan of action, a blueprint for the game and going out there and executing it to the best of our ability, just like we tried to do against Northampton.”

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Colchester face a Carlisle side managed by experienced boss Paul Simpson, who is currently serving in his second spell in the Brunton Park hot seat.

The former England under-20 boss led the Cumbrians to a 1-0 win over Crawley Town last weekend, in their first match of the campaign.

Brown said: “He (Paul Simpson) has done a lot of work and a lot of business in the summer.

“He’s a very, very experienced and knowledgeable manager that’s achieved a lot in his career.

“It’s great pitting your wits against somebody like that who has a lot of respect in the game who has been a lot of clubs in the league and international as well.

“I’m sure that he’ll be no different to us.

“He’ll be trying to assess his personnel, his shapes, his systems and they’ll try and go about their business to ultimately win the game of football, just like we will.”