Colchester United making 'good progress' in new boss search

The U's have received nearly 100 applications for their vacant head coach role and could have someone in place next week.

Colchester are not ruling out the possibility of appointing an internal candidate for the position.

However, it looks more likely they will go against their trend of recent years and make an external appointment.

U's sporting director Dmitri Halajko is heading up Colchester's search for a new head coach, foilowing Brown's departure on Sunday.

He will draw up a shortlist and will also lead the interview process, as the U's aim to bring in a new boss to lift them up the League Two table.

Halajko said: "We're happy with the progress we've made.

"We've made good progress.

"It's been quick progress but not quick progress where we'll have anything in place, before Saturday's game.

"But we'd hope that we won't be too far after that.

"It might be five days after that, it might be ten days after that.

"We'd hope it won't be any longer than that but having said that, you never know in football.

JON WALDRON (Image: JON WALDRON)

"There can be stumbling blocks and sometimes you have to take a step back quickly but that would be the ideal timeline for us.

"We're happy with where we are at the moment.

"It is early days - it's not a long way down the process so that process has still got time to add even more people to it or for maybe some of those people to fall away.

"There's been plenty of applicants so far and we're not short of quality or quantity.

"We've had nearly 100 so far and all relevant really.

"You hear the stories of people applying who haven't maybe been in the game before.

"But the applications we've had have all been creditable.

"There's a shortlist of maybe two or three people that we might target and go and speak to and there's the open process when you get people contact the club and put their CV through.

"You get outstanding people from both of those ways and then we've got the internal route, which the club has used quite a lot before which we won't discount.

"But we're certainly firmly looking at the other two areas as maybe a priority, at this stage."

RICHARD BLAXALL (Image: RICHARD BLAXALL)

Meanwhile, Halajko has praised former boss Brown, following his departure from the club.

The U's promotion winner was dismissed as head coach at the weekend, after Colchester's poor start to the new season.

"Wayne's legacy at this football club has been fantastic," added Halajko, who returned to the club this summer as their sporting director.

"He's been one - if not the - best centre-halves the club has ever had and got them into the Championship and saved the club from relegation.

"What he has brought to this football club is second to none and I think he'll always be a club legend.

"He'll always be respected and welcomed back as a massive friend of the club, because of that.

"It's always a shame to lose someone who has done so much for the club and for it not to work out for them.

"Any decision like that is very hard - it's not done easily or quickly and it's not nice for anybody involved.

"There's always lots of factors that you have to consider, when you're making it."