Caretaker manager Graham Golds has admitted he would relish the opportunity to take charge of St Albans City on a permanent basis.

The Saints have been jointly led by Golds and captain James Gray following the dismissal of David Howell and the pair masterminded an excellent 3-0 win over second-placed Leamington on Saturday.

Golds guided the Under-18s to the Eastern Division title last season where they finished unbeaten and he has put himself in the running for the vacant job along with Gray after their dominant victory at Clarence Park.

Golds said: “We had a meeting on Friday and we were asked if we were interested in doing the job. We said we were and we’ve thrown our hat into the ring now.

“I don’t think Saturday can do any harm and I think a lot of spectators went away happy. It is a big non-league club and it would be great to try and put our stamp on them and it would certainly be a great honour.”

Golds has known Gray for a decade and insists that the pair have an excellent relationship which is suited by their similar outlook on football.

He said: “We both bounce off each and have known each other and been friends for ten years. Our philosophy on football is the same and we just work well together.

“Both me and James are enjoying the spell in charge and the players have taken to it well. We’ve had a couple of training sessions and you can see the quality in the squad is there. We've just instilled confidence in them to get the ball down and play.

“The manner of victory was the most pleasing thing and it did not flatter us at all.

“It could have been more. We tinkered a bit with the formation and moved Richard Graham into the middle. Our emphasis was about retaining possession better which I thought we did.”

Interim chairman Nick Archer confirmed the pair had been interviewed for the role and admitted he expected to be in a position to announce an appointment by early next week.

Archer said: “It [Saturday] was obviously a significant change in shape and performance. The players seemed to be playing with a smile on their faces and the feedback I got from supporters was excellent.

“They are in the running along with the other candidates.”

The Saints ended their 288 minute wait for a league goal with the opener when Simon Martin deflected the ball into the net.

St Albans doubled their lead after David Ijaha fired in a low strike for his first goal since January.

Young midfielder Matt Taylor sealed the win in the second half when he took advantage of a defensive mix-up to score.