Securing safety earns Brown permanent post

Steve Brown has stepped up to manage Lewes on a permanent basis, his reward for keeping the Rooks in the Ryman League's top flight.

Appointed at the start of March as interim manager in the wake of Garry Wilson's departure, Brown, pictured, guided Lewes to a 19th placed finish, two places and five points clear of the Ryman Premier's drop zone.

In a statement confirming Brown's appointment, officials also announced that Dave Jupp, the former Ebbsfleet manager's number two, had left the Dripping Pan to return to the Kent club. His place in the dugout as Brown's assistant next season will be taken by Rooks stalwart Jay Lovett who has also been handed responsibility for the club's academy.

After former Charlton Athletic defender Brown secured their safety with a number of keys wins, including victories over Bury Town, AFC Hornchurch, Enfield Town and Bognor Regis Town, Lewes chairman Stuart Fuller told the club's fans he is now looking forward to the 43-year-old UEFA A licence coach teaming up with defender Lovett to bring through more talented young players.

Fuller said: “Steve is an A-Licence coach and we were really impressed with the way he approached a difficult situation. We set Steve a simple objective of retaining our position in the league and he approached that with a level of professionalism that impressed the board. Steve is very ambitious and has the same focus on developing some of our young talent as the board do.

"We are very excited to have secured the services as Jay, not only as our academy director and a defender, but also as Steve’s right-hand man. His academy at Eastbourne Borough was recognised as one of the best in Sussex and we know all too well of his quality as a player.”

The Rooks also announced a number of other changes to their management and coaching structure for next season over the Bank Holiday weekend.

First team coach Steve Eke, who briefly took over the running of the first team with Martin Hinshelwood before Brown's arrival, will take charge of the club's development squad following Gary Croydon’s decision to move on from the role.

Officials are also looking to appoint a new U18s manager after Dave Amiet decided to step down.

Image courtesy of www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.com

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