Ward is currently Colchester manager Aidy Boothroyd's assistant

Former Cheltenham boss John Ward has ruled himself out of succeeding Martin Allen at Whaddon Road but says the club need to appoint an experienced man.

Allen left the Robins on Friday after a period on gardening leave, with John Schofield currently caretaker manager.

Ward told BBC Gloucestershire: "The board will decide if John is the right man, but it needs someone like him.

"They don't necessarily need a big name, but Cheltenham Town need a stabilising effect on the club."

Ward, who is currently working as assistant manager at Colchester United, took over at Cheltenham in November 2003 and guided Town to promotion to League One in 2006.

But with Robins currently lying just four points above the relegation zone in League Two, the former Carlisle boss said that the task facing the new man in charge will a bigger task than when he replaced Bobby Gould.

"I think there's only one player who's under contract for next season, so there's a massive job," added Ward. "I think it's far more difficult than when I came in.

"I had some very good, senior, professional boys at that time who we got organised and built a club on that base.

"There's going to be an immediate job to make sure that the club stays out of the bottom two.

"Then there's going to be the long-term job to make sure that it stabilises and gets itself moving in a forward direction."

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