Colchester United’s caretaker boss Matty Etherington is in line for the permanent job with talks set for today, as per the Daily Gazette.
Colchester United decided to part ways with Ben Garner last month and since then, Etherington has been in charge. He had held a role as U21s boss since June but following the ex-Charlton Athletic and Swindon Town manager’s exit, he stepped up to the first-team role on a caretaker basis.
The 42-year-old has impressed in the temporary position too. He’s overseen three wins and a draw in League Two, lifting the U’s to 16th in the table. They’ve only tasted defeat once, that coming as a narrow loss to third-tier opponents Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup.
As a result of their recent form, there have been calls for Etherington to land the job on a permanent basis and now, it seems he’s in line for the Colchester United post.
The Daily Gazette reports that Etherington will hold talks with the hierarchy today and is in line to be offered the job permanently.
A permanent return
Etherington’s experience of first-team management is fairly limited. At Peterborough United, he held a role as caretaker boss in February 2022 before returning to his youth role with the Posh, then earning the manager’s job at Crawley Town.
It was a turbulent time there, remaining just a month before his exit. However, his stint in the caretaker’s position at Colchester United has proven his coaching credentials and he seems to have emerged as the logical permanent replacement for Garner.
Time will tell what the results of today’s talks are but all signs seem to point towards him being the new Colchester United boss.
