League Two strugglers Colchester United have placed one of their former managers in caretaker charge.

Steve Ball has taken the temporary reins after the sacking of Wayne Brown.

Ball, the U's boss in 2020/21, is technical director at the Essex club but now reverts to his previous position on a short-term basis.

He is being assisted by Ross Embleton and Elliott Ward whilst fourth-bottom Colchester seek a new head coach.

READ MORE: Former Carlisle United boss takes charge at League Two strugglers

Sporting director Dmitri Halajko said Colchester have started a "detailed process" to find a new boss.

"It’s a very important appointment so we must be thorough. However, we will also be working extremely hard to make the right choice as smoothly and as quickly as possible," he said in a statement.

He added that Ball had ruled himself out of the running to be head coach permanently.

Halajko said: "This selection process will be completely open, and we are actively encouraging applications from outside the club to ensure we find the right person for the job."

Boreham Wood boss Luke Garrard is the early bookies' favourite with odds of 2/1 with former Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell 5/1.

Brown on Sunday became the third manager in Carlisle United's division to lose his job already yhis season, after Rochdale's Robbie Stockdale and Hartlepool United's Paul Hartley.

Rochdale have since appointed Jim Bentley, with Hartlepool hiring ex-Blues boss Keith Curle as interim manager.