LUKE Chambers believes Colchester United will be starting from a ‘sound setting’ when they embark on the new League Two season.

The U’s return for pre-season training tomorrow, in readiness for a brand new campaign under new boss Hayden Mullins.

Colchester experienced a testing 2020-21 season, with the club threatened with relegation in the second half of the campaign and chairman Robbie Cowling being forced to make some tough off-the-pitch decisions, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But the U’s avoided the dreaded drop after being guided to safety by Mullins and as one of their six summer signings to date, defender Chambers has high hopes for what is to come.

Chambers said: “The chairman is very astute with his visions for the club.

“I feel that he took the hit last year in a year that was difficult for everyone.

“It’s given the club more of a sound setting to move forward from.

“It’s allowed us to sign players like Luke Hannant who has come in from a team that has been promoted and wanting to come and be a part of a team in League Two when he could have been in League One I think speaks volumes.”

Chambers joined Colchester earlier this month, signing a two-year deal at the JobServe Community Stadium after his nine-year spell at Ipswich Town came to an end.

The 35-year-old, who clocked up nearly 400 appearances for Town, is looking forward to playing under the U’s newly-appointed head coach Mullins.

“I’m really excited to play under him,” added former Ipswich captain Chambers, who spent nearly a decade at Portman Road after joining the Tractor Boys from Nottingham Forest, in 2012.

“I’ve played against Hayden before and I know what he was about as a player.

“I think he’ll bring those qualities into management and I think it shows how highly thought of he is having been given the job.

“Once we spoke, we were pretty much on the same page and anything I can do to help him moving forward, that’s all I’ll be giving to the club.

“He’s told me how he wants to play and what we want to do and I think it shows with the people that we’ve brought into the club that we know where we want to go.”