New Stanway Rovers manager Karl Duguid says he won’t give up on catching runaway leaders Mildenhall Town, after being appointed at The Hawthorns until the end of the season.

Rovers are second in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division but are a huge 16 points behind Dean Greygoose’s men and have played two more games than the west Suffolk side.

Colchester United legend Duguid, who played over 400 times for the U’s, took over the Rovers hotseat on Wednesday, following the shock resignation of Angelo Harrop.

His first game in charge will be on January 7 when Rovers host Saffron Walden Town. Michael Pulford will be in charge on a caretaker basis until then, and will lead the team on Boxing Day at Brantham Athletic.

Duguid, who has been involved at Stanway this season and is registered as a player, said: “We can’t give up on catching Mildenhall, it is do-able.

“We play them again on the final day of the season and we will try and finish as high as we can and win as many games, but we can only control what we do.

“There is still a lot to play for, we are in the quarter-finals of the League Challenge Cup and we have still got a chance in the league.”

The Stanway post will represent Duguid’s first as a manager, the 38-year-old having had coaching with the U’s under Joe Dunne and at Needham Market with the club’s academy.

“I am excited by the challenge,” added the former Plymouth Argyle midfielder.

“It is a club I know well – I have played there a couple of times – I know the players and what a good job Angelo has done, and it’s nice to be able to get my teeth into a club that is close to my heart.

“It’s a bit strange what has gone on behind the scenes (with Harrop), I don’t know what has happened, but when I was asked to take over until the end of the season after Angelo resigned, my aim was to continue all the hard work he has done – I know how tough it is to run a football club at this level.”

Despite being a novice when it comes to managing, Duguid takes plenty of knowledge with him into the hotseat, having worked under a number of established managers and coaches in the Football League.

With that in mind, will he be basing his management style on anyone in particular?

“I think you learn things from every manager, whether you agree with them or not,” he explained.

“There was Steve Foley, working with the (Colchester) youth team, and then there was Phil Parkinson when we were trying to get promotion at Colchester.

“I have also worked under some good coaches such as Geraint Williams, while I played at Plymouth under Peter Reid and Paul Sturrock (pictured).

“But at the end of the day I am my own person and I will build my own style.”