AARON Collins believes Colchester United’s impressive opening-day performance shows everyone they mean business in League Two this season.

The U’s kicked off the new campaign with an encouraging draw at promotion candidates Notts County, where they were well worth the point they gained.

Colchester are now turning their attentions to their first home game of the season against Port Vale, this weekend.

And loanee Collins, who is in line to make his U’s home debut against the Valiants, is targeting a victory to continue their promising start to the campaign.

Collins told the Daily Gazette: “Notts County are favourites to get promoted and to go there on the first day of the season and play like we did showed everyone that we mean business.

“By going to somewhere like Meadow Lane and getting a point, we showed that we can be as good as a team who were up there all of last season, in and around the top three.

“We put in a good performance at Notts County but we know that we have to better that or at least do exactly the same and hopefully, come away with three points against Port Vale.

“If we do that, it’ll be four points out of a possible six to start with, which we’d be happy with.

“I’m hoping I can make my home debut for Colchester and it would be great to mark it with a goal.”

Collins made his first league appearance for Colchester since joining them on a season-long loan from Wolves, after getting the nod in attack at Notts County.

The 21-year-old was pleased to be named in the U’s starting line-up, after fending off competition from the likes of fellow attackers Mikael Mandron, Courtney Senior and Luke Norris.

“There’s a lot of competition for places in the team and we didn’t know the starting line-up until the morning of the game,” said Collins, who spent time on loan at Notts County during the 2016-17 season.

“We don’t know the formation we’re going to play, because we’re settled and happy to play in a lot of different formations.

“We’re all fighting for our positions and it’ll go on like that for the rest of the season because the more competition we have, the harder we’ll try.”

Collins came close to marking his Colchester debut with a goal against Notts County, after being picked out by Sammie Szmodics in the area.

But the former Newport County striker slipped at the wrong moment and the chance went begging.

He added: “I’ve had to stop suddenly and my foot just gave way when I’ve taken the chest.

“I set myself perfectly and I knew that I was going to chest it and volley or half volley it but I ended up losing my footing which is frustrating, as I know I’d have scored had I got my shot off.

“I think it was a good point.

“It was an end-to-end game and neither team really had clear chances.

“We hit the bar and I slipped when I had a good chance but it was a good point.

“We were so solid throughout and we did have half chances but we also defended solidly throughout the game.”