By ADAM LAZZARI WISBECH Town s new manager called on his players to prove they are good enough to wear the club s shirt. Steve Taylor, who was appointed on Monday night, dismissed fears that the squad might fall apart following last week s resignations o

By ADAM LAZZARI

WISBECH Town's new manager called on his players to prove they are good enough to wear the club's shirt.

Steve Taylor, who was appointed on Monday night, dismissed fears that the squad might fall apart following last week's resignations of Roy McManus and Steve Appleby as manager and assistant manager.

Taylor said: "Wisbech Town is a fantastic football club with a proud history and the players should be proud to wear the shirt, whoever the manager is.

"It is up to them now to prove to me that they are good enough.

"Everything's been very sudden and the only player I've spoken to is Paul Cousins. He's been approached by a couple of clubs but told me he wants to stay.

"I'm aware that a few others in the squad have had offers as well and I'm going to call a meeting with the players soon to sort everything out."

Chatteris-based Taylor has been linked with job many times before, most recently in 2004 when he was Ely City manager.

He has also previously managed Chatteris, Warboys and Haverhill, whom he gained promotion to the Ridgeons Premier Division with in 2007 as runners-up in Division One.

Taylor also took Haverhill on the most successful FA Cup run in their history but quit the club in March after the board decided the cut the budget in half with 10 games of the season remaining.

Taylor said: "I'm aware that Wisbech Town have been in the papers a lot for all the wrong reasons but I want to keep out of everything that's gone on in the past.

"I'm here to concentrate on the football and let the board deal with all the issues behind the scenes and I'm 100 per cent focused on improving the team and making sure they win more matches.

"Roy McManus is a good bloke and he did a fantastic job last season. I saw Wisbech play before he took over and I was certain they would go down.

"I'm looking to build on that success and make the club great again. That might take me a couple of years, but the board have told me they are backing me for the long term.

"I've got players in mind that I want to bring in but I'm not looking to make massive changes to the squad."

At 41, Taylor is the youngest non-playing manager since Terry Back in 2001

Not including caretakers, he becomes the Fenmen's 10th manager this century and the 42nd since 1935.