Martin Carruthers is a proud man after being confirmed as Matlock Town's new manager

“I’m absolutely buzzing and can’t wait to get started, Matlock is a fantastic and well respected club both on and off the field and I’m delighted to be given this opportunity of being their manager,” he said.

Carruthers revealed he had applied previously for the post and had been unsuccessful but it didn’t put him off throwing his hat in the ring again when the opportunity arose.

“There’s been some very good manager here, Craig (Elliott) was building a very good side, there’s a good group of players and I’m really looking forward to working alongside them to try and achieve promotion”.

Carruthers says that the players at the club will be given their opportunity to impress him.

“In any walk of life you sometimes have to bring in fresh faces. I saw that Matlock have a good side with lots of quality when I was here with Ilkeston in the FA Cup earlier in the season. Everyone will be given their chance to impress, I’ll be assessing and observing over the coming weeks. Above all I want to see the lads playing with smiles on their faces.”

The new boss is targeting a place in the play-offs at he very least for the current campaign.

“We’re currently three points outside the top five, there’s twenty or so games to go so realistically you’re looking at around 70 points come the end of the season. It’s definitely achievable, it’s a matter of setting our ambitions high and to grab the opportunity when it comes along.”

Being a former striker himself, Carruthers is an advocate of attacking football but says that the style of play will depend on how a game is going.

“I like to play attacking football to get the fans excited, but the most important thing is to win games of football so game management comes into play,” je added. “The style of play will depend on what’s happening in the game, sometimes you may have to go more direct.

"I’m affirm believer that the best form of defence is attack, that will also mean defending from the front. There’s a great fan base here at Matlock and I want them to go home entertained after seeing us play some exciting football.”