Dean Hammond looks set to continue as Colchester United’s captain.

But U’s boss Paul Lambert has warned that no-one is guaranteed a place in his starting line-up.

Chris Coyne is still Colchester’s club captain, having been given the role by former manager Geraint Williams in the summer.

But the defender has been missing for parts of the season on international duty with Australia.

Lambert has so far chosen Hammond to lead his U’s side in Coca-Cola League One.

The Colchester boss was a proud skipper of both Celtic and Scotland as a player.

But he insisted he does not place too much emphasis on who wears the armband for his team.

He said: “Dean has been captain ever since I have been here.

“He has been absolutely terrific but it’s not to say he is guaranteed his place every week.

“If Dean is not playing well, he won’t be in the team.

“I’m not one to look at the captaincy issue as a major thing.

“I’ve said before that it doesn’t matter to me who is captain.

“And Chris Coyne has been injured and away playing for his national team.”

After leading his side to back-to-back victories in Coca-Cola League One, Lambert is preparing his players for their next challenge.

Colchester take on lowly Hereford United at the Weston Homes Community Stadium on Saturday.

The U’s boss has led his side to their only two home victories since taking over in October.

He wants his players to maintain their momentum in front of their own fans.

“We should be enjoying winning at home,” said Lambert, who has been running the rule over former Leeds United defender Alan Maybury.

“We’ve won twice there now since I’ve been here and we should have beaten Millwall, so we’re starting to pick up at home.

“If we can get the stadium more than half full, it will be a great place to play football.

“I cannot fault the players’ effort – other than the Walsall game, they’ve been terrific.”