COLCHESTER United head coach Hayden Mullins says it will be great to have fans back at the JobServe Community Stadium when they take on Spurs tonight.

The U’s play host to their Premier League opponents in a pre-season friendly, with supporters returning to the venue to watch a match for the first time since December, 2020.

Fans who have bought tickets for the match will have to fill in their online Covid-19 declaration to gain entry to the stadium.

And while it is no longer mandatory, Colchester are recommending that masks are worn in crowded spaces and when in close proximity to others, along with adhering to social distancing.

Nevertheless, the match promises to be a milestone moment for U’s fans who have waited patiently to return, with plenty of new signings on show - and Mullins is looking forward to seeing them back.

Mullins said: “It’ll be a good one for the club and the supporters.

“I’m sure they’ll bring a few as well.

“I’m not too sure how many we’ll have in the stadium but it’ll be great to have the fans back.

“There’s a lot of new players that they haven’t seen for a long time and there’s brand new signings there, too.

“It’ll be good for the players to see the fans and for the fans to see the players.

“It’s a good game for us; we know it’s going to be a tough game but like I keep saying, it is a cliché but it is still pre-season.

“It’s about the work that we’re trying to get in which is important to me.

“The fans obviously want to see a good game and some goals, so we’ll try and give them both.

“It’ll be a really good exercise on what we want to do.”

Gazette:

Mullins is looking forward to seeing his side pit their wits against a Spurs side who are adjusting to life under their new head coach, Nuno Espirito Santo.

Tottenham are expected to send a strong squad to Colchester for the game, with international stars such as Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Harry Winks and Steven Bergwijn all set to feature.

“Games like that throw up different problems that we might come up against when the season starts, which is good,” added Mullins.

“There were times when we spent a lot of time without the ball at Watford but there were also times when we had a chance to get at them.

“We have another test against Tottenham, which will be similar to Watford.

“Tottenham will spend a lot of time on the ball and in possession so it will maybe give us a chance to have a look at us, out of possession, see what we look like and how we try and stop them and certain formations.

“It's another really good test for us and it’ll be another tough game for the boys, I’m sure.”

Colchester's scheduled friendly at Ebbsfleet United last night was postponed due to the heavy downpours.