Pat Baldwin has expressed his shock at the sacking of his former boss Paul Trollope.

And the Colchester United defender has revealed he came a whisker away from joining him at Bristol Rovers, last season.

The Pirates, who host the U’s in npower League One on Saturday, dismissed Trollope yesterday, ending his six-and-a-half year spell at the Memorial Stadium as player, coach and manager.

Baldwin played under Trollope for a month last season, while on loan from the U’s.

And the stylish U’s centre-back admitted he was stunned to hear the news of his dismissal.

Baldwin told the Gazette: “I’m shocked that he’s gone - it’s unbelievable.

“Paul is a fantastic coach and his man-management skills were unbelievable.

“When I was there, all of the lads enjoyed playing under him, both in games and in training.”

For more on this story and all of the latest U's news, including Marc Tierney's exclusive column, see Thursday's Gazette.