Colchester United: Danny Cowley 'picks brains' of promotion winner Karl Duguid
- Published
Karl Duguid has managed four non-league clubs since ending his playing career
Colchester United have enlisted the help of former player Karl Duguid as they look to secure their English Football League status.
Duguid, now 45, captained the Colchester side which won promotion to the Championship in 2006.
He was invited to the training ground to meet current boss Danny Cowley and brother Nicky, his assistant.
"It's something Nicky and I have done at all the clubs we've been at," Cowley told BBC Essex Sport.
"We're always trying to form a connection with people that love the club, people that I think have Colchester United in their heart.
"He was obviously part of the successful Colchester team Phil Parkinson got to the Championship, and lived in the Championship.
"To pick his brains is important for us and the football club going forwards, these are really good connections for us to make and really good relationships for us to build.
"We know where we want to take Colchester United, we're absolutely clear. We know we have to navigate through the predicament we find ourselves in, but we know it's not a one-man job or a two-man job, it's going to require a whole community, a whole club effort."
Since the Cowleys took over in January, Colchester have won one game and lost one, with the other six ending in draws.
They are 22nd in League Two, five points clear of the relegation places, with 12 games to play, the first away to Barrow on Saturday.
"We've been able to find a level of consistency in our performance. We are now a competitive team in this division," said Cowley.
"If you look at the underlying statistics, I think we're a team performing in the top eight of the league in the last eight games.
"There are probably games we should have won, the Forest Green game, the Accrington Stanley game, we definitely shouldn't have lost the Harrogate game, so statistically we're in a good place.
"Absolutely we want to get full value for these performances....we're defending well but there's been lapses, which have led to moments that have led to goals, so we have to make sure we put a 90-minute performance together against the ball, and with the ball we have to keep working to be more and more of a goal threat.
"There are the areas we are working tirelessly on in training."