Oxford City could name a new manager by the end of the week, according to chairman Brian Cox.

Officials from the Skrill North club met with potential candidates yesterday evening with a view to finalising their decision. An official announcement is expected to follow.

“We’re meeting with a couple of people and hopefully everything will be resolved very soon,” Cox said.

“The main thing is that we don’t yet know which division we’re going to be in next season, which hasn’t helped with our search for a manager.

“Players are being signed already by other clubs so we don’t want to wait around.

“We’ve got six players contracted for next season, but that’s only half a team, so we really need a manager in now. We can’t afford to wait for too long.”

City have requested to be placed in the southern division next season and the Conference will meet on Thursday to confirm the league structure.

The decision is one which could have a bearing on City’s appointment as they look to replace former manager Mike Ford and his assistant Stuart Peace, who has also left the club.

“Some of the applicants are from quite a long way north of Oxford and others are based further south,” Cox added.

“We’ve probably had about 20 applications and we were surprised how far away some of them came from.

“Some quite high-profile people have shown interest in the position, which is quite flattering for us as a club.

“We’ve had applications from managers with Football League experience, so it shows it’s a desirable job.”

Meanwhile, Hayes & Yeading United, who were relegated from the Skrill South after finishing 20th, are considering a legal challenge to the decision which saw City reprieved following the resignation of Vauxhall Motors from Skrill North.

Manager Phill Babb said: “Going through the Conference rules, when a team resigns from the Conference there is a vacancy and the team that is in 20th place with the best points gets a reprieve, and that would be us.

“It’s not a club from the Conference North that automatically stays up, it’s a club from the step, which is the Conference North and South, so we’re looking into that.”