COLCHESTER United manager Phil Parkinson is not looking beyond tomorrow, and his team's all-important end-of-season showdown at Yeovil Town.Successful U's boss Parkinson was yesterday linked with the manager's job at Premiership club Charlton Athletic.

By Carl Marston

COLCHESTER United manager Phil Parkinson is not looking beyond tomorrow, and his team's all-important end-of-season showdown at Yeovil Town.

Successful U's boss Parkinson was yesterday linked with the manager's job at Premiership club Charlton Athletic. That position will become vacant when Alan Curbishley leaves at the end of the season, following 15 years at The Valley.

Such speculation is the price of success. But for Parkinson the future is merely the U's game at Yeovil, and the chance to win automatic promotion to the Championship.

“I don't even want to talk about the Charlton job. I'm not even going to say that I'm flattered to be mentioned,” insisted Parkinson last night.

“I'm just focusing on the job in hand, which is winning promotion at Yeovil this weekend. That's the only thing I'm worried about.

“We have tried to keep this as just a normal week, training for another game. We have prepared well and morale is high. We are relaxed,” added Parkinson.

“The key will be how we start. We want to treat it like a home game,” continued Parkinson, who has been in the Layer Road hot-seat for just over three years.

“We will have 1,600 travelling fans, ready to cheer us on. Hopefully, the atmosphere will be like a home game. We want to go out and attack Yeovil.”

While Parkinson hopes that tomorrow will be the U's last game of the season, ending in a top-two finish, Curbishley will definitely be signing off as Charlton boss at Manchester United on Sunday.

Curbishley's looming departure was announced by chairman Richard Murray in rather unusual circumstances, via an on-the-pitch address to Addicks fans before last Saturday's home game against Blackburn Rovers.

Charlton are currently advertising their vacancy, hoping to have a new man “in place as soon as possible.”

Southampton have already warned the Londoners off an approach for their manager, George Burley, the former Colchester and Ipswich boss.

But Parkinson and Reading boss Steve Coppell have been mentioned, as has ex-England head coach Glenn Hoddle, who is currently in charge at Wolves.

n Colchester United winger Mark Yeates will definitely miss tomorrow's trip to Yeovil, after injuring his shoulder while celebrating his goal in the 2-0 win over Rotherham last weekend.

Yeates, who has been on loan from Tottenham all season, will undergo an operation on the damaged shoulder today, in addition to having a hernia operation.