Davey's delight at landing Railway job

The ex-Knaresborough Town chief replaces Marlon Adams in the Station View hotseat as the Starbeck outfit look to rebuild following a second relegation in as many years.

"I'm very pleased to have been offered this opportunity, this is the only job that I would have come back into football for," said Davey, who left West Yorkshire League side Knaresborough Celtic at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.

"I'm excited by the challenge, but with the position that the club finds itself in we need to start again and rebuild from the bottom.

"The only way to do this is to go local. We need the under-17s and under-19s coming through into the first team and we need the best footballers we can get from around the area playing here.

"We want local people coming to watch the team and getting behind the lads and to get numbers in the clubhouse. That's the aim of Mick Edwards, the new chairman, and that's what he has brought me here to help achieve.

"There's plenty to be done, and we'll only have a small budget, but in time we will get this club moving forwards."

Davey, 57, becomes the Railwaymen's sixth managerial appointment in less than two years following a turbulent spell that saw them relegated from the Evo-Stik League at the end of 2015/16, then demoted again this season, this time from the NCEL Premier Division.

He will be joined by a back-room team consisting of Craig Ogilvie, Simon Brooker and Chris Hirst.

Davey's predecessor, Adams, took charge at Station View in November following the sacking of player-boss Liam Gray and inherited a team who had just six points to their name from 17 league outings.

Adams, who is based in West Yorkshire, brought about an upturn in fortunes, and the club went into the final weeks of the season with a fighting chance of avoiding relegation, however four defeats in their final four games ultimately saw them finish inside the bottom three.

"The financial structure of the club was the main driver behind the club's decision on going local," Adams said.

"Having no budget would have proven hard for me to do my job and build a good team.

"But I wish everyone involved with Railway the best of luck."

A statement released by the club on Monday morning said: "Harrogate Railway Athletic FC are excited to announce the appointment of Brian Davey as first team manager for the coming 2018/19 campaign.

"It has been another tough season on and off the pitch and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone associated with the club for their unwavering support over the last 12 months.

"A special thank you should go to the departing management team, Marlon Adams, Michael Reynolds and Lee Ryan for seeing the season out with the limited resources available to them to be able to compete properly at this level.

"We would like to wish them all good luck for the future, their desire and drive to succeed will be an asset to the right club."