One of the key characteristics of any good manager is their ability to make tough decisions.

And Tony Humes has shown in the six weeks he has been in charge at Colchester United that he is certainly not afraid to make difficult calls.

When the U’s boss left experienced club captain Magnus Okuonghae on the bench following his return from suspension and omitted left-back Ben Gordon against Fleetwood Town at the weekend, it was further evidence of the fact that during his reign in the hot seat, he is prepared to do things his way.

And when it leads to a victory, as it did against Fleetwood, such valour is seemingly justified.

After all, every manager comes in with his own ideas.

The philosophy at Colchester remains the same no matter who is in charge, with a particular brand of football in evidence at all levels from first team to academy.

But Joe Dunne’s favoured starting line-up is not necessarily the same as that of his successor.

That is probably why we are seeing gradual changes within the U’s squad, as Humes attempts to find a way of balancing the club’s plethora of young, emerging talent with players able to complement them and take them up the table.

The departure of striker Jabo Ibehre to Oldham Athletic on a three-month loan last week was another example of the U’s boss carving his own reputation as a boss.

So too was the addition of the likes of David Fox, Elliott Hewitt and Rhys Healey, as was making the likes of Marcus Bean, Dan Holman and Josh Thompson available for loan and relegating Dominic Vose to the under-21s.

Humes is always friendly, personable and affable to deal with, in keeping with his mentors such as Sir Bobby Robson and Brian Flynn.

But it is clear that also has an underlying determination to win and will not allow sentiment or emotion to cloud that drive.

Having had a thorough grounding in academy coaching, Humes now wants to be a success as a Football League manager.

And if that means making difficult decisions along the way, then that is the way it has to be.