Former Blues full-back David Wright has ended his playing career with Colchester United to concentrate on his coaching career with the Town academy. The 34-year-old has been working at Playford Road since the summer of 2013, shortly after joining the U’s.
Wright has recently been sidelined with a thigh problem and decided that now was the moment to hang up his boots. Earlier this week his contract at Colchester was terminated by mutual consent.
"During the seven weeks I was out injured, I got to thinking maybe this would be the right time for me to go down the coaching road,” he told the Colchester Gazette.
"I always knew that I would be playing more of a supporting role at Colchester this season.
"It didn’t help that I had a bit of a niggle at the start of the season and then I got a serious thigh injury. Even if I’d got back fit, would I have got back in the team?
"I feel that I can now get seven months of coaching in, between now and the end of the season.”
Wright, who also played for Crewe, Wigan and Crystal Palace, has been coaching Town’s U14s and he says the Blues are fully behind his decision.
"I’ve had some really good meetings with Bryan Klug and he’s been brilliant, like all of the staff at Ipswich,” he added.
"I go in every single day and watch experienced managers and coaches do their job, which is invaluable for me.
"I’ve told [Colchester manager] Tony [Humes] and the chairman [Robbie Cowling] that I have no plans to play anywhere else.
"I haven’t left Colchester with anything else in the pipeline and the plan is to throw myself into my coaching.
"Tony and [his assistant] Richard [Hall] have been brilliant - they’ve said I’ll be welcome back at Colchester whenever I want.”
Wright made 125 starts and three sub appearances for the Blues, scoring five goals, between January 2007 and June 2010.