MICHAEL Shinn has thrown his hat into the ring for the vacant manager’s job at AFC Sudbury.

The 28-year-old midfielder was assistant manager to Chris Tracey, who resigned his position last week.

He has been made player-coach and placed in temporary charge of first-team affairs at the Ryman League Division One North club until further notice along with coach Ian Brown.

The duo were at the helm for the first time on Saturday – a 1-0 defeat at Thamesmead Town – and will be in the dugout together at the MEL Group Stadium for the visit of Tilbury this Saturday.

Shinn, who signed for AFC Sudbury after leaving Dartford in January 2011, took on the role of assistant manager last October after Barry Lakin left the club. The club announced today that he has signed a one-year extension to his playing contract.

He said: “When I was asked to be assistant manager it was something I took on because of becoming a manager at this club or somewhere else further down the line, but now this opportunity has come about it is good experience for me.

“I still want to play a part as a player, but we have some very good central midfield players like Russell Pond, Sam Clarke and Ryan Henshaw, so it could be a case of I don’t need to play 45 games a season any more and instead play only 25.

“I have had a season of injuries, some impact and some muscular, and with my job as a floor layer I probably can’t play 45 games a season any more.

“This opportunity has happened sooner than I thought it would, and there will probably be a lot of people interested in the job with far more experience than me.

“If the club get an applicant they can’t turn down then I fully understand that.

“But in the meantime it is up to me and Brownie (Ian Brown) – if we do well, who knows what direction the club will go in?

“We will do the best we can, but understand the club needs to do whatever is best for AFC Sudbury.”

Brown, who left his job as manager of Whitton United at the end of last season after securing back-to-back Suffolk Senior Cup wins, said: “I will be taking this opportunity game by game and see how it goes.”