Matt Jay: Colchester forward did not 'see eye to eye' with former boss Ben Garner
- Published
Matt Jay was captain at former club Exeter City
Forward Matt Jay is hoping to make a fresh start for Colchester United under new manager Matthew Etherington.
The 27-year-old was signed from Exeter City in January for an undisclosed fee, but only seven of his 22 League Two appearances have been starts.
He played only his seventh game of this season in their 4-0 EFL Trophy defeat by West Ham Under-21s on Tuesday.
"For myself personally, I'm really happy to play. It's been a long time," Jay told BBC Essex Sport.
"I felt like I did pretty well in terms of some of the stuff on the ball, and managed to get around the pitch pretty well considering I haven't played for so long - so positives for myself, but disappointment with the result and team performance in the end."
Jay played 79 minutes of the game before being substituted - his first start for the club since the trophy game against Tottenham Under-21s on 19 September.
"I've not really been in this position for a number of years - probably only when I was coming through at Exeter and I was in and out. This has been a tough spell for myself - mentally challenging.
"I really want to do well here and try and help the team out. Hopefully the gaffer knows I'm ready to be called upon whenever required."
Etherington, appointed full-time in November after an interim spell, is Colchester's third manager since Jay arrived, following Matt Bloomfield and Ben Garner.
Jay added: "I never felt like I should have been disregarded. I don't want to speak ill of the previous manager [Garner] but we didn't really see eye to eye, I suppose.
"The team wasn't doing so well and I still wasn't being called in, so that was tough because I felt like 'what more have I got to do?'
"It's been [a] really low [period] but I've been keeping really fit and I want to give the fans and the owner something back.
"I'm here for the long-term in terms of my contract and if they want me here, I'll be here - but it's been hard."
How did the UK fall in love with ABBA? Explore how the iconic Swedish group changed pop forever
The sighting of a rare Dumbo octopus: Watch as this curious creature swims by an underwater camera in the Pacific Ocean
