TWTD understands Town are set to confirm former Colchester sporting director Dmitri Halajko as their new academy director later today.

TWTD reported on Friday that the 44-year-old was set for the role and later in the day the U’s confirmed his departure.

Halajko had been in his position with the U’s, where he was also a director, since July 2022, having previously been coaching manager for the Premier League.

Prior to that, between July 2019 and November 2021, he was lead coach with West Ham’s U23s having joined the Hammers from Leicester, where he had been head of player development U9-U23 for just over two years.

Between July 2014 and June 2017, Halajko was U21s coach at Norwich City having spent a three-year stint as a youth coach educator at the FA.

Another spell with the Canaries, coaching their U16s for two years, preceded that position.

Before that, he worked with the FA as a regional manager between 2010 and 2012, having been Colchester’s centre of excellence manager/community manager for 10 years taking on various roles over that time.

As a player, he was a midfielder in non-league for FC Clacton and Rowhedge among others.

Town’s previous academy director Dean Wright stepped down from his job at the end of last season in order to move back to his native north.

Photo: Colchester United/YouTube

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