Ashley Vickers believes it would be “disrespectful” of him to covet the role of permanent Dorchester Town boss – so soon after Roy O’Brien’s sacking.

O’Brien was relieved of his duties on Sunday, the morning after a woeful 3-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Weymouth in the FA Trophy.

Vickers, who acted as the Irishman’s assistant, was put in temporary charge straight away but has refused to be drawn on whether he wants the job on a full-time basis.

When asked if he would be interested in becoming O’Brien’s permanent successor, Vickers said: “It would be disrespectful for me to say that and it would be in bad taste. I’m just thinking of the next game.

“I’m still gutted for Roy as he’s a close friend. He had great plans for the club but they didn’t come to fruition.

“The chairman Shaun Hearn has been speaking to me quite a lot this week. He’s been absolutely great and given me 100 per cent support, for which I’m very thankful.

“I think the board may be looking for someone else but by the same token it’s my nature to do the best I can.

“All I’m doing is focusing on Saturday’s game at Woking and we’ll go from there.”

Shaun Hearn, who revealed that a settlement has been reached with O’Brien, insists he is in no rush to find a new manager.

He said: “We’ve had a large amount of interest in the job and we will have a look at the CVs that have come in. We’re in no rush at all, we just need Ashley to help stabilise things.”

Vickers took charge of his first training session on Tuesday night and the 37-year-old was impressed with the players’ reaction.

He added: “We spent some time with Sean Ferguson at Physiques & Shapes and he put the lads through their paces. We’ll keep doing that to improve our fitness, as I want us to finish games stronger.

“We had a good session on Tuesday night, the lads were all positive and upbeat and we spoke about what happened last Saturday.

“We all felt we let Roy down and we needed to reflect on that. But everyone made assurances that it will never happen again.

“The fact is that the minimum requirement for any Dorchester Town player is effort, commitment and passion. Anything less will not be tolerated.

“I mentioned to the boys what I think of their character and it’s about transpiring that on to the pitch.”

Vickers has been given the go-ahead to bring in new faces after cancelling the loan deals of Yeovil duo Louis Lavers and Andre McCollin.

He said: “The lads from Yeovil won’t be coming back anymore. I’m on the lookout for one or two new faces and I want to make sure we get players we can rely on and who want to wear the shirt.”

One player that could interest the caretaker-boss is former Weymouth team-mate James Coutts, following his return from America.

Vickers added: “I have spoken to him and it’s no secret what I think of him. He would be a great addition but he sees his future higher up.

“It would be great though, if he could help us out in any way.”

Meanwhile, Bridport boss Trevor Senior, a former county town striker, has distanced himself from the permanent manager’s role at the Jewson Stadium.

He said: “Most times when the job becomes available my name is mentioned. To be honest it’s not something I pay too much attention to.

“Obviously, I want to manage at the highest level possible but I’m enjoying it here at Bridport. I’m working with a good set of lads and it’s a good club to be at.

“Dorchester is my hometown club and if the situation changes and I get approached then that’s different, but all I can do is concentrate on Bridport.

“I’m flattered to be linked with the job but Ashley Vickers is in temporary charge at the moment and that’s all I know.”

About the departure of O’Brien, with whom he had a publicised spat earlier this season, Senior added: “I don’t like to see any manager go but that’s the nature of the game.”

* Dorchester Town have appointed two new board members in David Diaz and Neal Butterworth.

The former used to play for the Magpies, as did brothers Tony and Jorge, while the latter joins as a Dorchester Town Supporters Trust representative.