Ex-Portsmouth midfielder Hayden Mullins set for instant Fratton Park reunion after taking coaching job at Colchester

That’s after the former Blues midfielder, who this week left his coaching role at Watford, was appointed assistant manager to Steve Ball at Colchester United.

The League Two side’s first game of the season is away to Reading on Saturday in the Carabao Cup.

However, the U’s then travel to Mullins’ former stomping ground, Fratton Park, for an EFL Trophy game on Tuesday, September 8.

As a player, the former Crystal Palace and West Ham ace spent three-and-a-half seasons at PO4, after arriving from the Hammers in January 2009.

In total, he made 128 Blues appearances and scored three goals.

He was also voted as the 2010-11 The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season, when Steve Cotterill was at the helm in the Championship.

A reliable performer, Mullins featured at right-back in the 4-1 FA Cup fifth-round triumph at Southampton in February 2010.

Then he lined-up at left-back in the semi-final victory over Spurs and the final against Chelsea, when Avram Grant’s side lost 1-0 at Wembley.

However, primarily the one-time Reading player was a midfielder and departed in the summer of 2012 for Birmingham, with the club looking to slash their wage bill by removing all senior players.

Mulllins, 41, joined the coaching set-up at Watford in 2016, working primarily with the under-23s at Vicarage Road.

He stepped in as interim boss for the first team on two occasions during the 2019-20 season, most recently in July when the Hornets parted company with Nigel Pearson.