New Colney Heath manager Ryan Thompson has said his decision to take over the reigns at The Recreation Ground all happened very quickly – but something about the job interested him enough to come out of his footballing exile.

The Magpies made the decision to remove former incumbent Micky Nathan on Sunday, after a 5-0 home defeat to St Margaretsbury the day before.

It was their fourth straight defeat in all competitions and came at the end of a run that has seen them win only twice in 14 games.

And in that sequence Heath have suffered some heavy losses; 7-0 and 5-1 to Hertford Town, 5-0 to Wembley and perhaps most painfully 9-2 to Welwyn Garden City.

But the club and chairman Martin Marlborough moved quickly to appoint the former London Colney boss, who has been out of work since resigning at Cotlandswick at the end of last season.

And Thompson told the Herts Advertiser, he had no intention of returning to football until the job became available.

He said: “The phone call came on Sunday asking if I wanted to do it. I wasn’t looking to get back into it but there’s something about it that interests me. So I decided to give it a go.

“It’s all come thick and fast. We had a meeting with the players on Tuesday and told them a few things. We have to get to know them and we will keep chatting with them.”

Thompson, who will be joined at The Recreation Ground by coaches Tony Kavanagh and Tony Golds, revealed he has already lost the services of top scorers Trey Charles and Danielson Vincente.

And although he is looking to add a few new faces, the current squad will be able to prove themselves.

“We are trying to bring a few in but it is proving difficult,” he said. “But we have to have a look at the players here first. There are some good youngsters here.”