King's Lynn Town have launched their search for a new manager, following the shock timing of Ian Culverhouse announcing his summer exit.

The Linnets boss chose to reveal he will be leaving at the end of the season even though his team still have a good chance of promotion via the Evo-Stik Southern Premier play-offs.

While the impending exit has been known to the club's hierarchy since February, when the Norwich City legend gave written notice, deciding to reveal those plans on Sunday has caused confusion.

Lynn are second on 97 points but Hereford have sewn up the title. Victory away to eighth-placed Chesham on Saturday will almost certainly guarantee at least third place and home advantage for the play-off semi-final but Kettering could still snatch second as they are three points behind with a game in hand, which dictates home advantage for the final.

'He handed his notice in three months ago, citing the reasons of travel and money, they were the excuses he gave me,' chairman Stephen Cleeve explained.

'I said fine, I can't do anything about the travel, but the money we can discuss.

'He said, 'fine but there's some other things we need to discuss', mainly the pitch I think, but that I'm getting sorted now (bringing in a new groundsman).

'All that aside, Ian said he was quite happy for me to advertise the job three months ago but I said 'what's the point of that?'. Firstly you might change your mind, secondly it's going to derail your position and make it untenable – but he said it won't affect it. I disagreed, so kept it quiet.'

Now that former Norwich and Aston Villa assistant has gone public Cleeve has advertised the vacancy. The listing states the need for the club's scouting system to improve and for the youth and reserve teams to be overseen, with a minimum of a Uefa A coaching qualification and 'a proven coaching capability to deliver a philosophy of an attacking, attractive brand of football that achieves results'.

'We're going to have a very short process, close it on May 12th, try and find the right person,' Cleeve added.

'I've got my eye on one person in particular but you never know in football.'