Royston Town chairman Steve Jackson says he expects whoever he appoints as new Crows boss to maintain a promotion push this season.

Speaking to the Royston Crow, Jackson revealed the club are expecting 20-30 ‘quality applications’ for the role vacated by Paul Attfield, and this has come as no surprise to him.

“There has been a lot of interest in the position, which I expected and there have been some quality applications,” said Jackson.

“As a club we are close; we are 80-90 per cent there, and we are looking for whoever comes in to add that 10-20 per cent and turn us into a team for promotion.”

With the wait for a boss at Garden Walk since Attfield left his role, results on the field have not been great, and Royston have fallen to eighth in Calor League Division One Central.

However, Jackson believes the foundations are all there, and the club can still mount a challenge for promotion.

“We have got a very good squad here, but if the right man comes in and wants to improve things then we can help with that,” he added.

“But we aren’t looking for someone to come in and tear everything up and start again.

“We think we have got a lot of good things in place, good coaches at the club and just need that freshness to push on.

“I still think anything is achievable; there are two spots going to get promoted so I think we can be there or thereabouts.

“The play-offs are well within our capabilities.

“I have always said that we don’t just want to be a club that just ‘exists,’ we want silverware at the end of the season.”

With Duncan Easley, who has ruled himself out of the running for the full-time position, in caretaker charge, The Crows followed Saturday’s 1-0 league defeat to Slough with a South Midlands Floodlight Cup exit at the hands of Oxhey Jets, going down 3-2 away on Tuesday night.

Mitchell Bryant and Carl Edwards scored the goals for The Crows in their cup loss.

On Saturday against Slough, the only goal of the game was scored in the fifth minute, when Warren Harries punished some slack defending by firing past the impressive George Darlow in the Royston goal.