Former Braintree Town boss Danny Searle has been named as Aldershot Town’s new manager.

Searle signed a two-year deal last Friday night and hopes to follow in the footsteps of another recent Braintree boss and bring the glory days back to the EBB Stadium.

But while he shares a Christian name and former club with hot property Lincoln City boss Danny Cowley, there the similarity ends.

“I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked if I’m the new Danny Cowley,” quipped the 41-year-old former Chelsea Academy coach.

“Danny Cowley is a good friend of mine and he’s done an amazing job, and if we can emulate what he’s done with Lincoln at this football club then we’ll take that with both hands.

“But I’m not Danny Cowley I’m Danny Searle and we will do things my way and the successes that we bring will be Aldershot Town’s successes.”

Searle, who was head of coaching at Premier League West Ham United’s vaunted academy before vainly attempting to drag hapless Braintree Town out of the bottom four of the National League when he took over in January, was unveiled by Shots chairman Shahid Azeem at a press conference at the EBB on Monday afternoon.

And he’s in absolutely no doubt what’s required to restore pride and breathe new life into a club which was reborn in 1992 – sheer hard work.

“It will all be around hard work, that will be the strapline for everything we are doing,” he said.

“We have to understand that there were some very talented players at this club last season and it’s no criticism of those players, but without that work ethic, without that attitude, application and desire, it’s a struggle. There will be teams put out on that pitch that regardless of the situation they are in will giving everything they have got until that final whistle goes.”

Uncertainty still surrounds which league the Shots, who finished in the National League relegation places last season, will be playing in come August as troubled Gateshead’s fate is still to be decided, but that is of litle concern to Searle who has already got to work.

“Whether it’s the National League South or the National League we want to compete, we want to be strong, we want to win football matches. So from my perspective it’s business as usual regardless of what league we are in,” he said.

“The squad that we want to build is going to be a hungry one, and whether that’s in the National League South or the National League they have to have passion, they have to buy into our culture and our philosophy.

“The players have to fit in with what we are about and they have to have that ambition.

“If you’re questioning what league you’re going to be in as to whether you want to be here or not, I’m not sure you are going to be the right player for us. You need to want to be here because this is a great football club and not because of what league it’s in.

“There will be new faces, it’s a blank canvas. These are exciting times.”

Searle has already been boosted by the news that Aldershot Town will stay full-time professional next season, no matter which league they end up in.

Exciting times indeed.