Hayden Mullins won three, drew three and lost two of his eight games as caretaker boss at the end of 2020/21 to help Colchester United avoid relegation from the fourth tier; Mullins: "Having left Watford, I thought it was the perfect club for me to come and learn and progress as a coach"
Thursday 13 May 2021 23:11, UK
Hayden Mullins has been appointed as Colchester United's head coach on a permanent basis following a temporary spell in charge.
Hayden assumed a caretaker role at the club after the sacking of Wayne Brown at the end of March.
The former Crystal Palace, West Ham and Portsmouth midfielder gained 12 points in eight games to steer the Us away from the relegation places in League Two.
After he became temporary manager of Watford following the sacking of Nigel Pearson in July last year, Mullins joined Colchester at the beginning of the 2020/21 campaign as Steve Ball's number two, before continuing that role under Wayne Brown following Ball's departure as head coach in February.
Mullins said: "I'm very proud. I said 12 months ago when I joined the club that I knew it was a fantastic club - it's got some really good staff and players and it's a club that's got real direction.
"Having left Watford, I thought it was the perfect club for me to come and learn and progress as a coach.
"Albeit this season has had its ups and downs but for me personally, it's been a great learning experience as a young coach, after what we've been through this season.
"It's been fantastic personally for me to learn and to see what it's all about."
