Colchester United general manager Tim Waddington admits he has mixed feelings after the League Two fixtures were unveiled for the 2017-18 season.

The U’s will kick-off the brand new campaign with a 500-mile round trip to play Accrington Stanley on August 5 and after taking on Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup first round, will follow that up with a home game against Stevenage, the following Saturday (August 12).

John McGreal’s side follow that up with a game at Luton Town (August 19), before completing the opening month with a home clash with newly-promoted Forest Green Rovers, at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Colchester are away from home on the first and last day of the season and are also on the road during the Christmas period, including Boxing Day, prior to hosting Cambridge United on New Year’s Day.

Waddington told the Daily Gazette: “I’m not delighted but I’m not disappointed, either.

“It’s a tough and long first fixture of the season but one we’re looking forward to and we have a cracking first week to look forward, with Aston Villa at home in the Carabao Cup followed by Stevenage at home in the league.

“It will be a tough first game for us in the league and we certainly won’t be underestimating Accrington.

“We don’t know how it will be until it unfolds and it’s always a mistake to predict how everything is going to work out.

“It’s disappointing that we’re not at home on Boxing Day but Cambridge United at home on New Year’s Day will be a great opportunity for us.

“Everyone would love to be at home on Boxing Day but prior to last season, we’d been at home seven times in a row so we can’t really complain too much.

“It’s also disappointing that we’re playing Lincoln City at home on a Tuesday night in November, as I think it would have attracted a bigger gate on a Saturday.

“It’s a very intense December and early January, from a playing perspective.

“One of the positives for us is that from what I can see, there are only two potential clashes with Ipswich Town which is good from a stewarding and fan perspective.

“We know how hard it is to produce the fixture list and it’s a complicated business.

“In a perfect world, we’d have been at home on the first day, Boxing Day and the last day of the season but that’s not the case.”