What Robbie Cowling told Danny Cowley that gave the U's boss 'great confidence'

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Cowley will be working with a reduced playing budget this summer after Lightwell Sports Group's consortium led by Tim Foley failed to reach an agreement with owner and chairman Robbie Cowling, in their attempts to buy the football club.

Mr Cowling is still looking to sell Colchester United despite the US-based firm being unable to clinch a deal and head coach Cowley says he wants to play his part in ensuring the club is a sustainable proposition, for potential buyers.

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Cowley said: "We're trying to work every day and do the very, very best with the resources that we have in the circumstances that we're in.

"First and foremost, we have real confidence in Robbie Cowling.

"Since the moment he took over this club, every decision he's made has been in the best interests of the club.

"Some of those decisions might not always be popular with everyone but I can guarantee that every decision he has made has always been with the club's best interests at heart.

"It's quite clear that he's looking to sell the club but he wants to make his final decision his best decision - he said that to me the first time that we spoke on the matter and that gave me great confidence.

(Image: STEVE BRADING)

"For whatever reason, he didn't feel that this time was right, so we have some clarity in the short term at least.

"For Nicky and I, it's always to understand where we are today, have clarity over where we want to go and I think once you've got a start off point and a destination, then it's much easier to put those stepping stones in place.

"I think for us, we're just trying to help Robbie get to the next stage which is to try to find the right owners that can take this club forward and hopefully propel it to what it's capable of being.

"Our job is just to try to help Robbie get to that next stage and that means that we've got to try to work within the constraints to try to make the club as sustainable as possible and then when we get to that next stage, the more attractive we make this football club, the better owner we're going to find and then at that point, we'll be closer to finding that springboard to push on from."

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Cowley says he is clear on the budget currently available to him this summer, as they plan for the upcoming League Two season.

"I think the only thing that's certain in football is that it's going to be uncertain," added Cowley.

"We certainly won't be making any excuses - excuses are for the weak.

"If we make excuses, you give the opportunity for everybody else to make excuses.

"Robbie has been really clear from the get go where the budget would be, if he remained in charge.

"I think his ambition is to try to make the club financially sustainable and we know that this is a brilliant football club.

"Robbie deserves a lot of credit, in terms of the foundations that have been built here such as the training ground, the stadium, a brilliant academy - we have so much going for it.

"Essex is obviously a brilliant location just outside London so we know that it's an attractive proposition already."