Colchester United head coach John McGreal has urged his side to maintain their 'terrific' start to the season at home to Cambridge United today.

The U's lie fifth in League Two, having lost only one of their opening seven league games, this season.

Colchester can go third in the table with a win at the JobServe Community Stadium today.

McGreal said: “We’re seven games in and we’ve made a terrific start – that’s it.

“It’s the best start that we’ve made for a number of years but the hard work always comes in the next game, knowing that it will be another tough game.

“You can’t take your foot off the gas in this division because if you do, you get punished.

“The four points from the two away games has been an excellent return for us.

“It’s nice to get back home and hopefully it’ll be a big crowd with Cambridge coming to town with our ex-manager Joe Dunne.

“I’m sure – and hoping – that he’ll get a great reception because he was fantastic for the club over a number of years, both as a player and a coach and even as a caretaker manager at times.

“It’ll be great to see Joe and hopefully the fans will turn up and it’ll be a great game of football to watch.”

McGreal is hoping Colchester's home fans can get behind his side today, as they bid to move into the automatic promotion places.

He said: “The big thing is to create that noise – that’s the big thing that the players enjoy and I think the fans do, too.

“It’s up to us to try and get them going but at times, we’ll need their support as we did against Northampton where they were excellent.

“We’ve had Cambridge watched home and away.

“I looked at their performance against Carlisle last week and in the first half especially, I thought that they were very good.

“To concede just before half-time takes the wind out of your sails, as we know ourselves.

“We’re definitely looking at a different game – they’re a bit more confident away from home and there’s probably less pressure on them coming away to try and get a result.

“But it’s about what we do and we hope our fans will be in good support and come out in their numbers and we can try and get the three points.

“Cambridge are a well-supported club in our league and we know they will bring good support, as they’ve done the last two seasons."