Accrington Stanley managing director Rob Heys has said that James Beattie has expressed an interest in being the club's manager.

The former Southampton striker joined the League Two side as a player-coach during the last season, which saw the club survive a relegation battle.

Heys told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We've had around 100 applicants, of which around 40 are what you would call genuine. We'll dwindle that down to a shortlist of around seven or eight and conduct some interviews next week.

"We want someone who's going to keep the team spirit going, someone who's going to work very hard with a limited budget, and someone who fits in with the general feel of Accrington Stanley.

"[Beattie and assistant manager Paul Stephenson] both expressed an interest in having a conversation about it. To be fair to everyone who's applied externally, they all go through the same process. All applicants are treated the same."

Accrington have been without a manager since Leam Richardson quit to join Chesterfield last month.