Basingstoke Town announce managerial shake-up

Evo-Stik Southern League side Basingstoke Town have announced that current manager Terry Brown will take up the role of Director of Football from next season, with former boss Jason Bristow reassuming responsibilities in the dug out.
Brown has been in charge of the Dragons since March 2016 and guided the club to a respectable 12th place finish in the Southern Premier League last season. His side are currently on course to better last season’s performance, with the club sitting in 10th position with just two games left to play.
Bristow previously had a successful spell in charge of the Dragons, guiding the club to the Conference South play-offs in 2015.
In a statement posted on the club’s official website, Brown said:  “Having worked alongside Jason with our current squad over the last two years, I think it would be a mistake to break up the nucleus of this very talented young squad. During this period, we have worked to very taxing reductions with the players budget.
“The running costs of the first team has been subsidised by the sale of Aaron Jarvis to Luton and Robert Atkinson to Fulham. Both deals included possible sell-ons, first team appearances and preseason friendlies. This season we have received considerable interest from several professional clubs for at least two of our current squad. Jason and I are looking to adapt our training to allow more flexibility.
“Our senior players training Tuesday and Thursday evening alongside the young players who will spend Monday and Wednesday following a personalised training schedule with myself and Kelly who will be working with the boys in the gym. This allows us to still capture those youngsters who are released from pro clubs that we think have a good chance of developing by playing senior men’s football instead of going down the under 18/23 Academy Route.
“During this transitional year, that sees us continuing in the Southern League Premier Division, with new clubs as part of the geographical restructuring, and eventually moving to a new stadium, it is vital that we maintain and improve our status, with several of our local clubs also having enjoyed exceptional seasons. To maintain the backbone of our current squad, we need to increase our membership of both the club and more importantly our 200 club. The club can prosper again at Winklebury, but to do that we have to maintain and increase our supporter base. We can only do that by playing exciting football, that Basingstoke fans can be proud of contributing to and watching in the future.”
Brown will be looking to end his spell in charge of the club on a high by building on Basingtoke’s run of three wins in three games in their remaining fixtures against St Ives Town and Kings Langley.