Colchester United: Cole Skuse on decision to call time on fine career

In part one of our in-depth interview with the midfielder, the former Colchester United favourite outlines the reasons behind his decision to retire and call time on his playing days.  

ALMOST two decades – and more than 650 appearances – on from making his senior debut against Colchester United at Layer Road as a fresh-faced Bristol City teenager, Cole Skuse has brought the curtain down on his illustrious professional career.

And after waving a fond farewell to the U’s, the cultured midfielder believes now is the right time for him to be hanging up his boots.

“It was a tough decision but it’s one I think I’m ready for,” said Skuse, after deciding to call time on his playing days and begin a new challenge, as manager of Pitching In Isthmian League division north outfit, Bury Town.

“There’s a lot of people involved – there’s my wife who has been there from the very start and has been my biggest support mechanism really.

“There’s my three young children – they’re only 11, seven and four and they’re always in my mind and in my thought process.

“It’s been a long time.

“You start this journey at a very, very young age.

“You start at eight or nine and you’re in a magnified, pressurised environment from a very young age, all the way to the end of your career.”

Skuse’s playing career has been impressive, one which has seen him serve three different football clubs with distinction.

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After emerging through the academy ranks at his home city club Bristol City, for whom he made his senior debut in 2005, the midfielder went on to make more than 300 appearances for his home city club, the bulk of which came in the Championship.

When Skuse swapped Bristol for Suffolk and joined Ipswich Town in 2013, he continued to grace English football’s second tier and spent eight years with the Tractor Boys, making nearly 300 appearances for them before joining Colchester in the summer of 2021.

Skuse was a near ever-present for the U’s during his two-year stint in North Essex but now, at the age of 37, he has decided to move on to a new challenge.

“The physical standpoint is one thing,” he said.

“To do it for such a long time and go through the stuff that a lot of people don’t see on the surface is another thing.

“Physically, other than having a slight knee issue at the tail end of the season which was an isolated injury, there’s nothing long lasting or long term.

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“Physically, I feel really, really good so when it comes to pre-season or any fitness testing, it’s never an issue – I’m always fit and always feel good.

“It’s more than mental standpoint where I’ve done it for so long and had to make so many sacrifices from the age of eight or nine, to get to where you want to get to.

“I was ready to make the decision, as it wasn’t so much the physical side, it was more the mental side.

“I’ve got three young children and I want to spend as much time with them as I can.

“I think I was ready to make that step.”

Skuse has called time on his professional playing career – but will there be any scope for him to play for Bury?

He said: “That’s probably the question I’ve been asked the most!

“I’ve been open and honest from the offset – I’ve got no intention of kicking a football.

“Other than charity events or a competitive charity game in the garden, I don’t think I’ll be lacing up the boots too often.

“It’s very much a managerial position and I’ve got no intention of playing.”

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Skuse feels taking over at Bury feels like the ‘right fit’ for him.

He was reluctant to enter coaching in a professional environment and wanted to strike the right balance between family and work life.

“Taking up the position at Bury was not one that we took lightly,” said Skuse.

“I’m stopping playing to enjoy time at home with family and spend time with my wife and kids and family that come up from Bristol.

“So to make the decision to go into management, that’s obviously eating into some of that time.

“It was a decision that had to be spoken about at home, because it had to fit into family life.

“We had to strike the balance that we’re happy with, because it’s not just a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday role.

“My phone has never rung or bleeped so much in my whole life as it has within the last week!

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“I’m really excited about the next chapter.

“It wasn’t a decision that was made lightly and it took a lot of thought.

“I don’t think I really had an intention of stepping into coaching or management within a professional environment.

“It’s an environment I’ve been privy to for the last 20 years and had a real insight into and at this time, it’s something I’d quite like to step away from.

“Bury Town is a very good football club and a well-established football club.

“But it’s a slightly different environment to what I’ve been used to and even that from a mental standpoint will help.

“It felt like the right one and it’s a fit for everyone.

“It’s a fit for the club most importantly, because they’re most important involved in this but it also fits into family life.

“It looks like a good fit and I’m hoping it’ll be a successful one.”

Skuse has played under a host of different managers, starting his career under Brian Tinnion at Bristol City and finishing it at Ben Garner’s Colchester.

So what kind of boss will Skuse be?

“It’s like any walk of life,” said the former U’s midfielder.

“You take snippets from different people, good or bad and try and mould your own pathway.

“You come across people that you work with, work alongside, work under and you find what you deem to be good and bad habits and you take them and mould your own way of doing things.

“I think that’s going to be very much the way for myself.

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“I’ve worked under a lot of coaches, under various different owners of football clubs, directors, players that you play alongside and all the habits that they have and you try and absorb as much as you can.

“I’ve tried to do that from the older players I’ve played with in my career, because they’re still playing at a very good level for a reason.

“I’ve met some incredible people from my time in the game.

“I’ll miss that day-to-day interaction with the lads.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how it works, from a managerial side, in terms of that interaction.”

In part two of our interview with Cole Skuse, the former midfielder talks about his time at Colchester United, his standout moments during his time at the U’s and that Rochdale goal