WAYNE Brown takes charge of his first game as Colchester United’s interim first-team coach today.

And the caretaker U’s boss says he will give every player in his squad the opportunity to challenge for a place in his starting line-up.

Colchester head to play high-flying Forest Green Rovers at the New Lawn tonight (5.30pm kick-off) hoping to halt a 13-match winless run, in League Two.

Brown is preparing to pick the team for the first time since taking over from Steve Ball – and the former defender insists it is a clean slate for all of his players.

Brown said: “The beauty of when a fresh voice comes in is that it’s a level playing field.

“There’s no judgements on anyone – everyone has got the right for a shirt.

“I think that’s healthy for the squad as well, when you’ve got that environment and that culture throughout the team that if I go in and do well, I keep the shirt.

“The quality is massive and for me, you need to give people equal opportunity.

“If they come in and do a good job, no matter what age you are, you deserve to play the next game and keep the shirt.

“Everyone wants to impress and that comes from the benefit of making the change – it’s a new face and a different voice and a couple of different things on the training pitch that may not have gone on, of late.

“I’ve had a good response from them and as a manager and as a coach, that’s all you can ask for.

“There’s enough staff that have been here, all season.

“I’ve been in and around it for the last couple of games, so we know where we are.

“Actions speak louder than words and sometimes, the lads don’t need to say a lot and their attitude in training has been first class.”

Colchester, who beat Forest Green 1-0 when the two sides met earlier this season, lie fourth from bottom of the table.

They face a Forest Green side who were surprisingly beaten 3-1 at home by struggling Southend United in midweek and boss Brown feels that result reflects how difficult every League Two game is.

“The fact that Southend near the bottom of the table went to the second in the league side and won proves that every game is tough in this division,” said Brown.

“The margins in the league are so fine and if you can generate that mentality with confidence throughout the team and good competition for places, you can turn results around, you can go on runs and you can then start generating that winning mentality of win at all costs, which is what we need at the moment.

“There’s no easy games, no matter what division you’re in or level you’re at, they’re always hard games home or away.

“There’s always fine margins in leagues and this league is up there, for that.

“There’s not a lot of difference in quality between top to bottom and every game is a fight but every game is winnable and every game, you can achieve points.

“That’s got to be the message going into the group, that we want to go and win every game of football.”

Colchester will check on the fitness of striker Aramide Oteh, who limped out of their midweek defeat against Exeter City with an ankle injury.

Harry Pell (calf), Tom Lapslie (groin) and Ryan Clampin will also be assessed, ahead of the trip to Gloucestershire.