Former Derby County coach Ashley Cole is being considered for the vacant manager role at National League club Bromley. The ex-England left-back, who began his coaching career at Pride Park after retiring in 2019, is understood to be on the shortlist for the position.
Cole worked under Frank Lampard at Derby during the 2018-19 Championship season. His coaching experience since then has been primarily with England's youth teams, making a senior club management role a significant step. Bromley are searching for a new boss after parting ways with their previous manager.
Derby County currently sit 23rd in the Championship with just seven points from twelve games, having recorded only one win and four draws all season. Their next fixture is a trip to face Millwall, who are 13th in the table, on Saturday, 31 October. This sequence includes the 1-1 draw at Sheffield United last Friday, a goalless draw with Stoke City, a heavy 4-1 loss at QPR, a 1-1 draw with Wrexham, and a 1-1 draw at Burnley. Over the course of the campaign, Derby have scored just ten goals while conceding twenty-one, leaving them with a negative goal difference of eleven.
Their most recent result was a 1-1 draw away to Sheffield United last Friday. Bobby Clark gave Derby a first-half lead before Patrick Bamford's late equaliser for the Blades. In their previous match, a 0-1 home defeat to Stoke City, the only goal was scored by Luke Graham. The team's form has left them 18 points adrift of league leaders Middlesbrough.
Cole's potential move to Bromley would mark his first managerial appointment. It is seen as an opportunity for the former defender to build his senior coaching profile away from the intense spotlight of the Championship. Derby's focus remains on their own campaign as they prepare for the key match at The Den this weekend.
Background and full detail: uk.sports.yahoo.com
