[themaclad]

Colchester have appointed ex-Crawley boss Matthew Etherington as interim head coach after Ben Garner was sacked.

Etherington, who steps up from his role as under-21 lead coach at Colchester, lasted just 32 days as Crawley boss after being appointed in November 2022.

The 42-year-old now takes over as Garner's replacement "while the club considers its long-term options".

Garner was dismissed with the U's second bottom in League Two after four successive defeats.

Etherington's first game as interim boss will be against Grimsby Town on Tuesday.

He will be assisted by Scott Marshall and Dave Huzzey, who both worked under Garner.

[themaclad]

Colchester United have confirmed interim boss Matthew Etherington as their new head coach.

The 42-year-old had been a youth coach at the club but was put in charge after the sacking of Ben Garner last month.

The former Stoke City and West Ham winger had a 32-day spell as Crawley Town boss last year before resigning.

Saturday's 1-1 draw with Sutton United meant Colchester have taken 10 points out of 12 since Garner's departure and are now 16th in League Two.

"I needed to think about taking the job, some people might not believe that, but that's just me being honest," Etherington told BBC Essex Sport.

"It was definitely a temporary basis when Ben left. We had a conversation at the start of this week and with the way things have gone I was delighted to take it.

"I'm a realist, I know what football is all about, I've been in the game since I was 15 years old. There'll be bumps in the road ahead but I'm sure there'll be plenty of positives as well.

"There are the ingredients here for this club to be successful. That's genuinely how I feel in my gut."

Etherington was made interim boss on 23 October but, after overseeing a 3-2 win at Grimsby in his first match, he was unable to sit in the dugout for the following game against Accrington after Crawley claimed he was still under contract to them.

He was reinstated as interim boss at the end of last month, after U's owner Robbie Cowling carried out a "thorough review" of the contractual situation with Crawley - and Etherington said it was now "all sorted".

Having taken the Colchester Under-21s job in the summer, he believed a return to a head coach role would be "a year or two down the line".

But Etherington's first game as permanent boss will be a trip to League Two leaders Stockport County on Saturday.

"There'll be different questions asked this weekend, and next weekend, but it's down to us as a staff, as a team, together collectively, to figure out those problems," he said.

Details of Etherington's contract have not been disclosed, but Colchester sporting director Dmitri Halajko said: "Matty has had a good response from the players and his league points return has been excellent as interim head coach.

"He will now have the opportunity on a full-time basis and will have the full support at everybody at the club as we look to continue climbing up the league table."


There is no surprise here. Matthew Etherington's audition for the job produced three wins from four League Two matches, in which they picked up 10 points. That is Colchester's best run of form since April.

He must find the recipe to maintain that sort of form and halt the losing culture which has dogged the club for nearly three years.

The U's fans will hope he can build something more concrete and stop the revolving door of head coaches, which has seen six depart in just over three years and not helped the stability of the club.

The former West Ham winger had a short, difficult spell at Crawley and will want to prove he has the skills to make a success of being a head coach.

He has a tough baptism in permanent charge, away to leaders Stockport followed by a home game against play-off chasing Barrow. Get something from those games and Colchester might have just turned the corner.

[themaclad]

Well that didn't last long

Colchester United have sacked head coach Matthew Etherington after an eighth loss in nine matches.

The U's are only one place and five points above the League Two relegation places after losing 1-0 to Gillingham.

Etherington was a youth coach at the club before taking over on an interim basis following predecessor Ben Garner's sacking on 21 October.

The 42-year-old took over permanently on 16 November but won just one league game after that.

The downturn followed a good start to his time as head coach when he won three of his first four matches.

"It's not easy, I'm not going to stand here and lie to you and say I'm fine," Etherington told BBC Radio Essex after what proved to be his final match.

"It's tough and the players are finding it tough as well with the results we've had recently, so it's a difficult moment for everybody and all you can do, until you're told otherwise, is keep going."

Colchester have not announced who will take charge of the side ahead of a trip to Swindon Town on Saturday.

Home supporters made their feelings about the club's recent results known to Etherington in no uncertain terms at full-time against Gillingham.

"They're entitled to their opinion, they pay their money to come and watch, so it's part and parcel of being in this role," said the former Stoke City and West Ham winger, who is 2024's first managerial casualty.

"I get it, and the results haven't been good enough lately, so it is what it is.

Etherington, who had a 32-day spell as Crawley Town boss in 2022 before resigning, added: "I believe in working a certain way, I believe in my principles as a person and I'll keep being me."

To compound Colchester's problems, leading scorer Joe Taylor has been recalled from his loan spell by parent club Luton Town after netting 12 times in 27 appearances and, according to Etherington, could now join a League One club.

Analysis - 'Experienced and thoughful appointment needed'
BBC Essex sports editor Victoria Polley

Matty Etherington's reign at Colchester United lasted just 47 days and with just one win in nine matches, there is little complaint about his dismissal.

Having been placed in interim charge from his role as under-21s coach when the U's dismissed Ben Garner at the end of October, it was hard to argue with his record of four League Two matches unbeaten and the feeling was that if he got the results, the club wasn't going to be looking elsewhere.

The U's poor run since then has left them just five points above the League Two relegation zone and it's a fourth season of struggle towards the wrong end of the table.

Chairman Robbie Cowling has to get the next appointment right, it is after all an eighth permanent head coach the club is looking for in just over three years.

With the team's perilous position in the table, an experienced and thoughtful appointment surely has to be the priority to ensure football league survival but with the January transfer window open, time is also of the essence for a new boss to come in and make their mark.