Chester FC expect to have their new boss in place by the end of this month.

An advert went out on Sunday looking for a 'first team head coach/manager' for the 2018/19 campaign in what will be the National League Norh following this season's relegation.

But anyone interested in the position will have to be quick with the closing date for applications being 5pm this Thursday, with interviews taking place the start of the next week.

Following last week's sacking of Marcus Bignot , the search is on for Chester's fifth permanent manager since their reformation in 2010.

And the role is likely to differ from the ones previously held by Niel Young, Steve Burr, Jon McCarthy and Bignot.

Speaking on Thursday's exclusive Chronicle podcast with the City Fans United board , CFU director Calvin Hughes, lead of the Football Working Group said: "The Football Working Group have had numerous discussions on the board. Moving forward we need to develop more with regards to the youngsters and create a player pathway. We are looking at a head coach role, manager in brackets, because we feel we want someone with more expertise on the coaching side to bring the players through from the academy, which has been great, and full marks for Calum (McIntyre) for that.

"Going forward we need to increase that and we need to look at better player talent ID. One thing we are looking at is a club scout. Not a scout who goes and watches matches and reports back on the opposition, but a scout who is experienced in player identification.

"We would do it in a way that it would be someone who would produce a report. It would be someone who is for the club. Managers in the past have had somebody going out who they knew but this person will be for the club. We are looking to scout better and recruit better to take the club forward.

"We can't go back to what we have had in the past as a club which is a revolving door of players, we just can't do that. We have to be prudent with our finances so everything comes into the full equation. We are going to go along this route with a head coach/manager, we have got to look at player development in more ways than we have done. The finances are just not there to bring somebody in and then sell them on, it just won't work like that anymore."

While the Blues may be facing financial struggle and a fractured fan base, there is likely to be high interest in the job.

Former Hartlepool United manager Craig Harrison, Bangor City boss Kevin Nicholson, former Blues Andy Holden, Shaun Reid and Graham Barrow, and Witton Albion boss Carl Macauley have all been linked.

The Chronicle also understands that Runcorn Town boss Chris Herbert and assistant Mark McGregor could throw their hat into the ring for the vacancy. Herbert, from Blacon, has worked as a coach at Chester before under Burr and includes Welshpool and Cefn Druids on his management CV.

But whoever comes in they are likely to be dealing with a tight budget.

Speaking on Thursday, finance directpr Laurence Kirby said: "We kind of have to make some assumptions on where our income is going to come from. If one assumes that the commercial sponsors we currently have stay on board then that kind of rolls into next season, and there is no reason to suspect that the main ones are not going to stay on board.

"The big assumption we have to make is on the gates again. We have looked at season ticket prices and the Fan Engagement Group have made some suggestions that have been accepted and they will be rolled out. But the number of takers on those season tickets is up for grabs and I think it unrealistic that we will reach the high numbers of the past couple of years. We have knocked something back off that and we hope to have 900 season tickets sold. That may be over ambitious but we have to start somewhere and make some assumptions.

"If we can get 900 fans in to buy season tickets with the price structure we have put out there and the incentives, then we are looking at the pay at the gates. The pay at the gates has dropped quite considerably.

"It is all about the football but we have to put some numbers down. If we pitch that for budgeting purposes at 800 fans paying that gives us an overall 1,700. To get to those kind of numbers with the continuation of our existing sponsors then we are probably looking at about a £250k playing budget, which is very low. The £250k includes those on two-year contracts as things stand and those guys will have to move out.

"When you talk to a manager you want to give him as much as possible as a playing budget. We do have fixed costs we can't do anything about and we have other staffing costs that we will keep to a minimum."

Director Jeff Banks added: "We have moved forward to try and get a man in position hopefully by the end of April or before the end of the season."