Dmitri Halajko on Danny Cowley arrival at Colchester United

The duo have taken over as the U’s new management team on a two-and-a-half year deal and in the short term, are aiming to steer the club away from League Two relegation danger.

However, Colchester are also aiming for some long-term stability having had eight permanent head coaches in little more than three years and sporting director Halajko is confident the Cowleys can bring some permanency and consistency to the JobServe Community Stadium.

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Halajko said: “We really need to start looking at the long term.

“There’s been too much short-term reaction at the moment through no-one’s fault; it’s just the way that it’s been.

“I think everyone at the football club is really looking for stability and I think Danny and Nicky can give it to us.

“They’re very clear on the short-term goals that they need.

“One of the things that really impressed me when we spoke to them was their diagnosis of the short-term problems that they want to fix but also the medium term where they want to take us and the long term where they want to take us.

“Hopefully, we get the short-term stuff done pretty quick and then we can move forward, because I think they can really take us forward not just as a first team in the short term but take us forward as a football club, in the long term.”

Colchester have struggled in League Two for the last three and a half seasons, leading to head coaches coming and going and disharmony among the fanbase.

Halajko believes the arrival of the Cowleys is something that can bring everyone together.

“That’s what we wanted; we wanted a project we could get hold of and one that we could get behind and predominantly, one that the fans and the town can get behind,” added Halajko.

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“They’ll absolutely be at the forefront of that and will drive that, with their work rate as second to none.

“They’re going to work so hard to try and push us forward and it’s our job to try and help them do that.

“We think they can improve our performance on the pitch, we think they can pull the football club together in all departments and we think they can lead us forward.

“They’ve got good coaching qualities which is really important and they’ve got brilliant leadership qualities so when you combine both of those, we think it’ll be really successful.”