The deadline for applications passed on Friday last week and the search for a new boss is well underway.

“First and foremost, it isn’t an easy process or decision,” said Merritt.

“We have a responsibility as a club to look at the role, think about the future of the football club and the direction we want to go in and who is the right fit for that to help us achieve those ambitions.

“The other thing to bear in mind is that we’ve got two caretaker managers who are doing a fantastic job and who are very valuable to the football club so they’re integral to this process as well.

“We’ve got to the point where we’ve made a shortlist of applicants. We had well over 50 applications for the role and we’ve shortlisted eight of those for an initial interview and, in addition to that, Andy Ballard and Ross Jenkins are also looking to apply for the job.

“That process will take place over the next four to five days and then we’ll have a second shortlist for a final interview and then we’ll look to make a decision from there.

“It’s a difficult choice and it’s one were not taking lightly. We’re doing it properly and really trying to think about what we’re looking for and who the best fit is for the club.

“There’s been some incredibly strong candidates, so we go into the process with an open mind. I really want to assure everybody that the decisions of the panel will be based on a discussion of each and every candidate and on what they can offer to the club.

“They’ve been given a brief and our responsibility is to make a positive decision for the football club to enable us to look forward.

On the pitch the team are in a hot run of form, sitting fourth in Vanarama National League South with the play-offs very much the aim for the Hoops. Nonetheless, Merritt is also thinking about the long-term.

“We need to consider where we are trying to get the club to go over the next two to three years. There’s a whole player recruitment model to look at and we’ve also got to be mindful of how we compete against these other models in the league.

“In the division there’s teams that are full time and teams that have hybrid models who train three times a week as opposed to our twice, so how do we start building those blocks to improve what we offer at Oxford City.

“If we want to compete at the top, we have to find a way of embedding some of the things that other teams are doing but with our own philosophy as well.

“In David Oldfield we had a very strong manager. I wasn’t anticipating it being over before the end of the season but what it has done is given us an opportunity to reflect on where we are and where we want to go to.”