Former Norwich City and Aston Villa assistant manager Ian Culverhouse has been surprisingly announced as the new manager of King's Lynn Town.
The Linnets have pulled off the coup following the sacking of long-serving manager Gary Setchell last night, 24 hours after a 0-0 draw at Cambridge City.
Despite that result extending their unbeaten league run to seven matches, it was a fifth draw during that streak, leaving Lynn 13th and 21 points adrift of the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division play-off places.
Culverhouse has left National League promotion chasers Dagenham & Redbridge to take his first managerial role, with the former Canaries and Swindon defender to speak to the media at a press conference tomorrow.
The 52-year-old was Paul Lambert's assistant at Colchester and Norwich – taking City from League One to the Premier League – before following the Scot, along with head of football operations Gary Karsa, to Aston Villa in the summer of 2012.
However, Culverhouse and Karsa were suspended in April 2014 as an internal investigation was launched into a disciplinary matter.
The pair were dismissed and Culverhouse did not return to the game until becoming John Still's assistant at Dagenham in January 2016.
Relegation from League Two has been followed by a strong season in the National League, currently sitting second in the table and chasing leaders Lincoln.
Culverhouse has stepped down to the third tier of the non-league pyramid to take charge at The Walks though, with 11 games of the season remaining.
Setchell had been in charge of the Linnets since the club reformed in 2010 and became King's Lynn Town, after financial problems saw the town's original club wound up.
He led the club to promotion from the United Counties League in 2012 before sweeping to the Northern League Division One South title in style the following season.
His team looked set for a fourth mid-table finish at step three this season though and chairman Stephen Cleeve, who bought the club last summer, has decided to act.
In a statement announcing Setchell's exit Cleeve made it clear he expects the club to be challenging for a play-off place and has now turned to Culverhouse to try and make that happen.
The immediate appointment has also been confirmed by Dagenham in a statement, saying: 'Ian was John Still's first addition to his team management when returning to the Daggers just over a year ago but the former Norwich City defender has always expressed his ambition of managing a club.
'Although not wanting him to leave, the club will not stand in his way and would like to place on record a big thank you for the service he has given to Dagenham & Redbridge FC and to wish him every success with the Linnets.'
Culverhouse will begin his time in charge with a tough trip to third-placed Hitchin on Saturday.
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