Stockport County v Cambridge United: Garry Monk and Korey Smith expecting hosts to have plenty of momentum from last season’s Sky Bet League Two title success

Head coach Garry Monk and midfielder Korey Smith are expecting to face an ‘aggressive’ and ‘buoyant’ home side when Cambridge United travel to face Stockport County for Saturday’s Sky Bet League One opener.

Having dropped as low as the Vanarama National League North in the not too distant past, this weekend’s clash against the U’s will mark a first appearance in the third tier of English football for hosting County since the 2009/10 season.

And fresh from beating the likes of Wrexham and Mansfield Town to the Sky Bet League Two title last term, the newly-promoted Hatters are likely to have plenty of momentum – on and off the pitch.

United boss Garry Monk said: “All credit to them – they’ve come up with a lot of power, a lot of investment and a lot of ambition.

“But we’re well aware of what to expect. We’ve all been involved in situations where you’ve got a promotion and the first game of next season – especially with it being at home – it’s going to be a buoyant atmosphere.

“The (Cambridge) players are going to have to be ready for it. They’ll be aggressive and they’ll try to go front-foot with us, but we’re preparing for that.

“It’s fine because we’re going to need to know what they’re going to do and understand certain circumstances, but really the focus is on ourselves.

“We want to try and make an impression and show what we’re doing as strongly as we can.

“There is always a bit of a focus on the opposition, but the main focus will always be on ourselves.”

Summer signing Smith, meanwhile, is expected to make his competitive debut for Cambridge at Edgeley Park.

Looking ahead to the clash, the 33-year-old added: “Playing against a team that’s come up, they’re going to be excited and the atmosphere is going to be great.

“They’ll be up for it and I’m sure it will be a packed house. They deservedly got promoted, they’re a strong team and we know they’ll be looking to try to carry that into this season.

“We’ve got to be wary of that, but we’ve also got to use that energy against them in the same way.

“We want to play our game in our way and hopefully get the win.”

United last travelled to Stockport for a league fixture in December 1994 when two goals from Jim Gannon earned the home side a 2-1 victory, with Steve Butler on target for the U’s.