Colchester United have appointed former Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd as their new manager.

The 38-year-old replaces Paul Lambert who left the U's for League One rivals Norwich City last month.

"The club is progressive, it's not on a downward, it's on an up and it wants to go forward," Boothroyd told BBC Essex.

"That's what I want to do, I think there's a real chance of getting some momentum and getting some success here and I want to be a part of it."

Boothroyd added the Colchester United board was one of the key reasons for him returning to the managerial circle with the U's.

"After meeting [chairman] Robbie Cowling and his board, straight away I got excited about it and I put that at the forefront of my mind, because the guy you work with is important," he said.

Boothroyd has been out of work since leaving Championship side Watford by mutual consent in November 2008.

606: DEBATE Definitely worth losing Paul Lambert, he has proved he can get a team up on a shoestring budget believe91

He guided the Hornets to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2006, and took them to an FA Cup semi-final the following year.

This will be the first time he has managed in the third tier of English football, but Boothroyd said working at this level did not concern him.

"It's not a drop down, because I think me choosing my next club was very important," he said.

"It's very much like being in a wonderful marriage, getting a divorce and then making sure you get with the right woman the next time and I've certainly done that here."

Boothroyd, who retired as a player at the age of 26 because of injury, watched United lose to Gillingham on penalties in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy on Tuesday.

The former Leeds first-team coach established himself as one of English football's brightest young managers at Watford.

However, he left the club after winning just 12 of his last 48 league games in charge, a statistic that left them just one place outside the relegation zone.

U's youth team coach Joe Dunne had been in caretaker charge at the Community Stadium for four games, beginning and ending with matches against Gillingham.

Colchester 1-2 Leeds Utd

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