Veteran Staley isn't done yet

The former Accrington Stanley and Macclesfield Town manager, pictured, left Llanelian Road at the weekend following the departure of manager Ashley Hoskin.

Staley came out of retirement in May following the appointment of former Burnley winger Hoskin at the North Wales club and the 69-year-old reckons his spell at the Premier Division club has only whetted his appetite for the game again.

Staley, who celebrates his 70th birthday in a couple of weeks, also backed his former employers to pull away from trouble and wished them well on Monday, 48 hours after the club's 0-0 draw at Ilkeston FC led to his departure.

Staley said: "Being back in the game again has given me a determination to stay in it if I can. I've got a vast amount of contacts in the game, including with Premier League clubs, and many have been texting me their good wishes since the weekend.

"I signed 14 players while I was at Colwyn Bay and I would say we made a mistake with only two of them - and they were signed on the advise of a Conference Premier manager. The others performed brilliantly in pre-season, but unfortunately we suffered badly with lengthy injuries, while another player was sold.

"But we still competed well in games without getting the run of the ball and a number of poor refereeing decisions going against us. I could also never get my head around the fact that other clubs in the league can sign and play a player inside 36 hours, while Colwyn Bay, because they are in Wales, have to wait five or six days to get clearance through! That was so frustrating when we were hit with injuries.

"But I believe in the players I signed and I hope, whoever the new manager at Colwyn Bay is, they go on to show what good players they are by helping the club climb the table. I do wish the club well, because the supporters who travelled with us to every away game and were brilliant deserve that.

"I was hugely disappointed with way things turned out which is why I handed in a letter resignation before last Saturday's game at Ilkeston. I always said I would go if Ash went. Now we all move on, and we'll see what comes up. I may be 70 in a couple of weeks, but you are only as old as you feel and with all the contacts I have, I would love to stay involved with the game."

Colwyn Bay chairman David Titchiner has set a deadline of 5pm on Thursday (October 15) for potential successors to Hoskin to contact the club.

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