BASINGSTOKE Town will hope that new manager Terry Brown can do for the Dragons what he had done elsewhere.

Brown was announced as the new boss at the Camrose on Tuesday, after Michael Gilkes was released the day before, following a run of one win in nine league games.

The new boss has an excellent knowledge of this level of football and has had some very successful spells in the hot seat at Hayes, AFC Wimbledon and Aldershot Town, guiding all then into what is now the National League and beyond.

He joins the Dragons who are bottom of National League South 11 points from safety and is under no illusion it will be a tall order to escape relegation, but he is not about to throw the towel in.

Brown said: “This job came a bit out of the blue, but I really pleased to come and manage the Dragons. I watched Basingstoke last year and they played some lovely football and this year with the same players and it has gone very wrong.

"I have never tasted relegation, but if we can escape I think this will surpass anything I have achieved before.

“If it is does happen we then have to look to the future and I will be using the remaining games to look at the players I have and get ready for next season.

"I am very much a planner and we have make this club sustainable going forward and get a team which is hungry for success on it.”

Brown's first game in charge is certainly going to be a baptism of fire as the Dragons face a visit from fifth placed Oxford City at the Camrose on Saturday (3pm) and then on Monday they travel to play-off hopefuls Gosport Borough.

Talking about Oxford’s visit Brown said: “They are a good footballing side, but we have to get three points it is as simple at that. I hope this will then give us the confidence to move forward as we head to Gosport on Monday. At the moment we have to take one game at a time.”

Town are hoping for a bumper crowd at the Camrose to herald this new dawn for the club, as the Dragons look to fight their way out of the drop zone with a new man at the helm.