Colchester United’s joint interim manager Richard Hall says he expects to hold talks with chairman Robbie Cowling next week about the club’s vacant managerial role.

Hall, along with under-21 coach John McGreal, took charge of the Colchester side for their 5-1 defeat at Burton Albion, following Tony Humes’ departure as manager on Thursday.

Cowling has said he is likely to appoint from within the club when he chooses Humes’ successor and Hall, who has worked as the U’s assistant manager and under-21 coach, said he is interested in the role.

Hall said: “I will sit down and speak to the chairman next week along with other people and see where we go.

“It’s up to the chairman to decide how we take the club forward.

“If that’s with me then great – if it’s with somebody else then so be it.

“It’s a discussion we will have next week.

“It’s been a tough and challenging couple of days.

“I’ve been with Tony a long time now and it’s been hard but that’s football.”

Colchester got off to a dream start at Burton, going ahead in the fourth minute through Callum Harriott.

But goals from Nasser El Khayati and Mark Duffy saw the U’s go in at the break trailing.

And further strikes from Tom Naylor, Lucas Akins and Timmy Thiele in the second half condemned Colchester to a fifth straight league loss.

Hall added: “We tried to cause them problems and I thought it really worked for the first 20 minutes or so but then the two goals went in and you think, “the next goal really matters”.

“We conceded from another weak shot and after we had a couple of decent efforts and hit the inside of the post – it just seems that something has got to click and go right for us.

“You make your own luck though and we’ve also got to cut out the naivety at the other end.

“It’s about hard work and you get your rewards from that – we have to start putting these thing right.”

For five pages of coverage of the U’s game at Burton, see Monday’s Daily Gazette.