WAYNE Brown says individual meetings have already taken place with Colchester United's players, as the season draws to a conclusion.

And the U's interim head coach has revealed he is keen to hear feedback from his squad on how things can be improved on the training pitch, next season.

Colchester complete their League Two campaign with a trip to play Hartlepool United on Saturday, having secured their divisional safety several games ago.

The U's are hoping to finish on a high with a win but thoughts are already inevitably turning to the next campaign.

Brown is set for talks over his own future next week and is expected to be appointed as Colchester's head coach on a permanent basis, alongside Joe Dunne and Dave Huzzey.

Unlike last season, the majority of the U's squad are contracted for another campaign and Brown insists it is important to get their feedback on how they can be better, next time around.

Brown said: “We’ve already started the process of speaking to individuals, over the last week.

“Those individual meetings will continue.

"I think it’s only right and fair that we have a little bit of a debrief with individuals and just get their perspective on things as well on where we can improve, where we can improve the training, the standards, the tactical information, the way we put it over, because ultimately, we want them to digest it and carry it out.

“It’s important that we work together to achieve that.

“It’s all a learning process for everyone.

Gazette:

“There’s different learners; there’s visual learners, there’s active learners, there’s verbal learners.

“We’ve got to try and find the best way for the collective group, to get the best out of them.

“That’s part and parcel of being a good coach and being a good manager, because if you don’t identify those things, then you’re not giving yourself the best chance of getting the best out of the group."

A host of players departed Colchester last summer, including club captain Harry Pell, Jevani Brown and Callum Harriott.

However, there are only a handful of players out of contract this time around and Brown believe that can only be a positive thing.

“It was a different dynamic here, last year with a number of players out of contract.

Gazette:

“It’s totally different this year, where we’ve got a number of players under contract.

“The pleasing thing is that those players have been a really good group to work with, a pleasure to work with.

"I feel like we’ve got the best out of the group more often than not, which is pleasing.

“When you’re doing that on a regular basis and there’s a response from the group and there’s a buy-in from the group, then you want to keep as many of those players as you can around going into next season.

“With them being under contract, we’re in a good position to do that."