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

Brown has been announced as the new boss after Michael Gilkes was released on Monday.

He has an excellent knowledge of this level of football and has some very successful spells in the hot seat at Hayes, AFC Wimbledon and Aldershot Town and last season guided Margate into the National League South, before being sacked in December last year.

His management career started at Hayes in 1993 where he took a side on the brink of relegation from the Isthmian League Premier Division into then Conference, which is where Basingstoke just missed out last season in the play-offs to get promoted to.

After leaving Hayes he joined Town's local rivals Aldershot and had five successful years with the club again taking them into the Conference.

In 2007 he took over at AFC Wimbledon when they were a step below Basingstoke and masterminded their rise to the League Two in four years and after keeping them at that level for a season, he was sacked by the Dons in 2012.

He moved south to Kent and this time it was Margate who guided into the National League South, but as is the nature of the football, poor results saw him sacked, but he now takes over at the Dragons.

Looking at what he has achieved before there is no reason to think it cannot do it again and even if he is unable to mastermind the great escape for the club with eight games to go and 11 points from safety in National League South.

He looks the right man to guide them back into the National League South and further.

His first game in charge will be when Town entertain Oxford City on Saturday (3pm).