HAYDEN Mullins insists he is happy to embrace the challenge of trying to keep Colchester United in League Two after taking over as the club’s head coach.

The 42-year-old has today been placed in charge of the U’s for their remaining eight games of the season, following the departure of interim first-team boss Wayne Brown.

Mullins, who has been working as Colchester’s assistant manager since arriving at the club last September, will be attempting to turn around a dismal run of form which has seen them win only one of their last 22 games.

But Mullins, who spent time as Watford’s caretaker manager at the end of the season as they battled to stay in the Premier League, says he is ready to embrace the challenge that awaits.

Mullins said: “The chairman (Robbie Cowling) spoke to me last night and told me the way he wanted the club to go.

“He asked me if I’d take charge until the end of the season and I said yes and that there would be someone coming in to help me with that.

“The same happened at Watford and I didn’t shirk the challenge then and I won’t do that now.

“It’s a fantastic group of players and I know that they’ve got a lot of give and a lot of passion for the club.

“They’ll keep fighting right until the end and I’ve got big belief in the players and the football club.

“It was the question that was asked and I didn’t think too hard about it.

“I’ve been working for the club since the beginning of the season.

“I know what players we possess and how we can hurt teams.

“Am I surprised to be in this position? Yes.

“With the change with Wayne (Brown) coming in and taking the reins, albeit the results haven’t gone too well of late.

"But we got a really good reaction from the boys and I think he did what he needed to do really well.

“When Wayne initially came in, it was a tough start away at Forest Green.

“Then we got the win against Carlisle which was good and we tried to build on that but results didn’t go as well as we wanted.

“I want to get us playing as a force again and get us going forward and creating and scoring goals.”

Mullins took charge of training as Colchester’s new head coach for the first time today, as they prepare for their visit to play promotion-chasing Bolton Wanderers on Good Friday.

U’s chairman Cowling was there to speak to Colchester’s players at their Florence Park training ground.

“We’ve had a training session and the chairman has been over and has addressed the players, which was good,” said Mullins, who confirmed that Joe Dunne was no longer helping out on the coaching front.

“He spoke really well and passionately about the club and I think the players understand where he’s at and understand the challenge for the football club and one that we need to go ahead and embrace.”