Colchester United’s Sammie Szmodics is sure that former U’s player and manager, Joe Dunne, willl enjoy a good reception when he leads out his Cambridge United team at the JobServe Community Stadium on Saturday.

Dunne’s Cambridge side have struggled a little over the opening few weeks of this season and are down in 19th spot after seven games, in contrast to his former club, who are fifth in League Two.

“Joe (Dunne) will get a good reception from our fans, I am sure,” insisted Szmodics, following this morning’s training session at Florence Park.

“Joe was a big help to me in my career. He is a very good one-to-one manager, like our current manager (John McGreal), and I always referred to him as ‘gaffer.’

“He could blow smoke up you and get the best out of you, giving you the confidence to play.

“He gave me my professional contract, my first appearance and my first start,” added Szmodics, who was the U’s leading scorer with 13 goals last term.

Dunne, 45, played 191 senior games as a full-back for the U’s, and went on to manage the club for 99 games (four as a caretaker, the rest between September 2012 and September, 2014.

After parting compnay with Colchester, Dunne was appointed Cambridge United’s assistant manager in May, 2015 and was elevated to the position of head coach this summer.