Former Newton Aycliffe star Dan Mellanby has taken over the reins at his troubled club in a double appointment.
Mellanby, who helped Aycliffe reach the Northern League top flight as a player, has been made joint-manager at Moore Lane Park, along with ex-Norton manager Deano Browne.
The pair will officially take over after Aycliffe’s trip to Jarrow Roofing on Saturday after their appointment was rubber-stamped by the club’s committee on Thursday night.
It follows Peter Dixon’s departure after an incident at Aycliffe last Saturday, immediately after their FA Vase defeat at home to Morpeth Town.
Aycliffe chairman Allan Oliver told Aycliffe Today: “It’s been a tough week for the club and it was important for us to act quickly so we can draw a line in the sand.
“Dan is an Aycliffe lad and knows the club inside-out, while Deano did a great job at Norton on a limited budget, and he’s very highly thought of as a coach.
“We have to move on as a club and we’re confident Dan and Deano are the right men to take us forward.”
Browne is a full-time coach with the Martin Gray Football Academy and previously worked as a coach for Darlington FC’s community programme before it went into liquidation and was relegated to the lower leagues.
The 29-year-old had been manager at struggling second division side Norton, while Mellanby had until recently been assistant manager at top-flight side Marske United.
Meanwhile, Oliver confirmed four players have left the club after last Saturday’s clash with Morpeth, which is currently being investigated by Durham FA.
He said Mellanby and Browne have already started to work on bringing in new players as the club looks to improve on its eighth-placed spot in the first division.
