COLCHESTER United head coach Steve Ball will urge his side to make victory their main objective when they visit Bradford City in their League Two curtain-raiser today.

The U's begin their new league campaign with a trip to face the Bantams at Valley Parade, hoping to get off to a winning start.

Bradford are considered one of League Two's main promotion contenders, this season.

However, boss Ball says they will head into their opener in positive mood - and will not be afraid to go on the attack.

Ball said: "If you look at the four years where it's been John (McGreal) and myself and now me, we've never gone into a game where we've actually gone out to defend - apart from perhaps Man United away or Tottenham at home!

"It's not us and it's certainly not me.

"We absolutely took the game to Reading who are a Championship side and I thought in the first half an hour against Pompey, we did the same.

"That's what I'll do and I think we've got the players to do that naturally - even our defenders are forward-thinking players.

"Bradford know that we're going to be a good side.

"They will have watched our two games so far I'm sure and done their homework properly.

"They'll see we've got some dangerous players and some really potent attacking boys who can turn any team in this league.

"Based on the two games so far against higher opposition, I know we can go there and win.

"Obviously this season, with what's gone on and everything, Bradford will see players who have left our club from last season, no doubt.

"But I really hope teams do approach us like that because I know that on our day, we're more than a match."

Colchester could come up against their former striker Kurtis Guthrie again, this afternoon.

The 27-year-old made 45 league appearances for the U's during his two-year spell at the JobServe Community Stadium, scoring 13 times.

"It's mentioned about Kurtis," said Ball.

"I obviously worked with him for a couple of seasons.

"He's a great kid; a bit misunderstood as a kid and he'll provide a threat.

"Kurtis played for Stevenage against us last year and he's the sort of character who wants to put one over his own team.

"But I can't affect that and we'll go there and do a job to stop Kurtis and others on Saturday."

Paris Cowan-Hall is set to be among the Colchester substitutes at Bradford, having returned from injury in the EFL Trophy at Portsmouth in midweek.

It was a boost for the former Millwall attacker, who spent much of his first season with the U's sidelined due to injury.

Ball added: "This time with Paris, we were a little bit more patient with his recovery, which has been important.

"He's had a real stop-start time at this club and after the last niggle he had, we decided he should have a couple of weeks just totally off it to really build the strength up in that area.

"He's come back in really good nick - he's trained really well and he'll push for a starting place.

"He's won promotions and he's got that experience and that's why we signed him."