ROBBIE Cowling insists installing Hayden Mullins as Colchester United's head coach until the end of the season will give them the best chance of League Two survival.

Mullins, who had been working as assistant manager, has been placed in charge for the club's remaining eight games as they bid to move away from the drop zone.

He replaces Wayne Brown, who took temporary charge last month following the departure of Steve Ball as head coach.

Mullins will be joined by an experienced manager, who will work as his assistant for the remainder of the campaign.

Colchester are four points above the relegation zone and U's chairman Cowling is backing Mullins to pull them clear of danger.

In a statement on the U's website, Cowling said: "With just eight games of the season remaining and Colchester United still embroiled in a battle to steer clear of the relegation zone, I have decided to make a very tough decision to change the first team Head Coach for the second time this season.

"I have asked Hayden Mullins to take over the reins until the end of the season and I am pleased to say that he has accepted the challenge.

"I will provide a further update on who will be assisting him once that has been determined but I will be looking for someone with good managerial experience to not only assist Hayden, but to also mentor him over those eight games.

"I feel this combination will give us the best chance of achieving all of our aims.

"I would like to make it very clear though that this is Hayden’s gig.

"He will be the first team Head Coach and it will be him that makes the final decisions regarding the team selection and tactics."

Colchester find themselves battling against the drop, having won only one of their last 22 games in League Two.

"I would like to go on record once again to say that I take full responsibility for this season’s predicament," said Cowling.

"I made a number of financial decisions that I believed were needed during the pandemic and those decisions have had a negative impact on results.

"Had there not been a pandemic, I’m sure we would have been battling at the other end of the table.

"We are where we are. There is a pandemic and I have handled it the way I have.

"If we stay up, then the decisions I have made will set us up very well for the future and would be viewed as very sensible.

"If we go down, then they will be deemed as foolish.

"One thing’s for sure though? We will be fighting for every one of the 24 points that remain available to us."

Brown had nine games in interim charge of Colchester after taking over when Steve Ball was dismissed, on February 23.

But the U's claimed only one win in that time, drawing three and losing five.

Cowling added: "Wayne Brown has given his all to lift the club away from danger but his hard work, positivity and enthusiasm have not been rewarded with the results he deserved and the club needed.

"I can’t allow those poor results to eat away at the team’s confidence to beat the drop, which despite our position remains high.

I would like to thank Wayne personally for all of his hard work.

"He jumped in to help me out when I needed him to and I’m very disappointed that things have not worked out."