Colchester United’s assistant academy manager Steve Bartlett has left the U’s to join Town’s youth set-up as coaching development manager.

Bartlett moved to the North Essex club from Gillingham’s academy, where he had been head of coaching, in July 2023. Prior to that, he had spent three and a half years at Leyton Orient in the same role.

In addition, Bartlett has worked for the FA as cerebral palsy senior and development squad coach and also as a UEFA B and C coach developer.

“I am excited to be starting a new coach development role with Ipswich Town FC academy as coach development manager,” he wrote on LinkedIn.

“The opportunity to take a coach development leadership role is motivating and exciting and to work for Ipswich Town adds incentive and desire to best support coaches to develop players.

“Looking forward to catching up with some previous colleagues and building new working connections.”

Among the former colleagues at Town is the Blues’ director of football operations Dmitri Halajko, who joined the club from the U’s, where he had been sporting director, as academy director in August 2024 before moving to his current job in the summer.

Announcing Bartlett’s departure, Colchester academy manager James McFarlane wrote in the programme for the weekend game against Cheltenham: “Steve has worked tirelessly over the last three seasons with our junior academy and consistently put the players and staff development first with his practice.

“We wish Steve the very best with his new role. He will always be welcomed back at Colchester United with open arms.”

Meanwhile, Town won’t be taking their interest in 18-year-old Slough Town striker Kian Berry any further. The frontman, who had caught the eye of a number of clubs in the FA Youth Cup, spent two weeks with the Blues and featured for the U18s in the recent 5-0 defeat to West Ham United.

Town had a look at another trialist at the weekend, 17-year-old Tyler Martin, a right winger who has been with Liverpool since the U14s.

Photo: TWTD