Southam unveil new boss

Shearsby had been handed the caretaker role on a temporary basis after Luke Fogarty’s resignation and had spoken out about the uncertainty unsettling the players.

However, despite guiding Saints to their first victory of the season on Monday, it was not enough to earn Shearsby the job on a full-time basis.

A statement released by the club on Wednesday night revealed the new man at the helm to be Lee Knibbs, formerly assistant to Danny McSheffrey at Coventry Sphinx.

Knibbs stood down at Sphinx, along with McSheffrey, at the end of last season after the club finished third in the Midland Football Alliance.

Knibbs, who was previously at Barwell, met Charles Hill on Tuesday evening and the Saints chairman said the new man’s ambition for the club matched his own.

“I spent two relaxed, but purposeful, hours with Lee and believe his experience gained at Coventry Sphinx and Barwell will be invaluable to us,” said Hill. “He already knows some of our current players personally.”

“Unbeknown to me, he had watched our two matches over the weekend and we discussed his analysis of how we played.

“We are agreed on the way forward, including working closely with academy manager Ian Ray and others.

“He is strongly committed to the ethos and concept of Saints as a true community club.”

Before being told the new by Hill, Shearsby had spoken of the transformation brought about by the win over Racing Club.

Simeon Smith’s calm 68th-minute finish sealed a 3-2 victory and Shearsby admitted the three points were a weight off everybody’s shoulders.

“It was important to get that first win,” said Shearsby, who is still unsure whether there will be a role for him under Knibbs. “We’d forgotten how to win.

“I knew we were good enough as the performances have been improving without getting the results.

“But to see the players’ belief after the game, you could see it had been lifted.”