"I'm absolutely delighted, and can't wait to get started to be honest. It's going to be a long summer but we're excited to sort out the squad with both the players I want to retain at the club, and the ones that I'm looking to bring in."

For anyone who is unaware of your managerial experience, what do you think you can bring to Clitheroe Football Club?

"I had three and a half years at Warrington Town as assistant manager and then a season and a half as the manager where we were very successful, so it's just a natural progression for me from seven years as a professional footballer, and then into the semi-pro game for eight or nine years.

You learn a lot along the way playing under some good managers with different abilities and levels so you try and take a little bit from the managers you've played at and put it across into your own philosophies."

After a little time away from coaching, why was Clitheroe the right time to come back?

"I've been scouting at a couple of clubs in a higher division and it's just frustrating, you can keep watching games two or three times a week but the itch and desire to get back into management was always there.

It just felt right, this is a club with a good tradition, a stable board, chairman and board of directors, and if you get the right playing squad, you can make Shawbridge a real fortress and have a real good go."

With the rebuilding job needed at the club, what is your first step towards doing that?

"Yeah it is a rebuilding job, because when a new manager comes in there's always players that think they can play higher, and unfortunately when things don't work out they generally come back into this level, and it's just about getting the right balance.

There's probably about six or seven of the current squad that I'm going to retain and so we are looking at least ten to a dozen players to bring in to the club.

But we need to bring in the right players. It's no good bringing in just any players, it's the right players that want to play the way I want to play."

How did you go about appointing your coaching staff you are bringing in and what can they bring to the club alongside yourself?

"Dave Mannix will be coming in as first team coach. Dave brings in a wealth of experience in the professional game, being twelve years at Liverpool and being part of the European Cup winning squad that came back from 3-0 down in Istanbul, and he played for me at Warrington.

Dave knows how I want to play and he can implement that to the players and he's a good coach. He's a UEFA A License coach so that's an asset to the club when we can bring in young, hungry players which we want to try and do at Clitheroe to compliment some experienced players I'm going to bring in.

My assistant will be Lee Ashforth, who up until last season was Ossett Town manager.

Lee is someone I have known for a number of years, who has a wealth of experience. Twelve or fifteen years at this level as management and assistant management, and is someone who wants to work with myself. It's a good fit and I think we've got a good strong team with me."

How do you think the challenge at Clitheroe compares to Warrington?

"Every club has different challenges doesn't it, different ambitions.

Warrington was an extremely, extremely ambitious club, they had a 2020 vision of getting to the Football League so it was extremely ambitious.

At Clitheroe there's ambition there. We obviously want to do well but there's no 'we want to be in the football league in five years time' so it's a different kind of pressure.

The club have done well over the last three or four years and the ambition is to improve on that. The last time I was in this league I won it including two playoffs and an FA Cup run so they're the kind of players I want to bring in where we are going to be pushing for the playoffs."

What philosophies do you like to implement as a manager?

"First and foremost the philosophy is to enjoy winnings and not like losing! You can also have all the tactics and say all the right things but the bottom line is you've got to work hard if you play for me. The fitness levels are going to be high to play a high intensity game and press high up the pitch. Forward thinking, forward passing, quick passing, high energy and to put teams under a lot of pressure.

We will be starting games off on the front foot and really getting into people's faces and thats the philosophies I will be implementing at Clitheroe."