Hollands & Blair have handed the permanent manager’s position to a coach who has already excelled with their reserves.

Luke Jessup initially took the management role on a caretaker basis - having stepped up from the reserves after Scott Porter’s exit - but despite numerous outside interest in the position the Blair board have decided to back their own man with the first team gig.

Blair’s statement said: “After careful consideration, we are pleased to have appointed the new first team manager from within the club by promoting from our reserves and extending the interim caretaker position to permanent by offering Luke Jessup and his backroom staff as the new management team until the end of the season.”

Jessup is thrilled with the opportunity to manage his local side and has already brought back a club legend into the team.

Following his appointment, Jessup said: “This is something I have always wanted to do, it is a great opportunity and verging on a dream come true I would say, for me, I am super excited.

“I appreciate that the club have given me an opportunity and I am super grateful for that, these chances don’t come around every week, it is about making the most of it.

“I am glad they have given an opportunity and promoted from within because I think it builds the right philosophy and ethos around the club.

“I have been in multiple coaching roles over the years and with the reserves at Hollands & Blair for the last two seasons and it has gone really well, three points off the top and in the quarter-final of a cup.

“We really turned that around, bearing in mind two seasons ago they had been relegated and we kept them up. Now we are pushing for promotion in the ressies which is good and I’m proud of the group of lads and always with the view to supplying the first team with players.

“I have faith in the young players and I am trying to go that way, with four or five of our youngsters that I felt deserved the chance integrated into the first team, and they haven’t really disappointed. We just have to add some extra quality in to that squad.”

Ben Brown played in last Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to VCD athletic, coming off the bench.

Brown was the club’s leading scorer last season and his two goals won Blair the SCEFL Challenge Cup against Fisher. He was awarded the supporters’ player-of-the-year award but left in September for Rochester United, boasting a record of 193 appearances and 56 goals for the club.

Jessup said: “Ben’s a club legend but he needs to get his fitness back because he hasn’t played too much at Rochester.

“If there was an award to be had last season he got it and he is a good man to have around the group. The players look up to him, he is just an all round top lad.”

Rob Denness scored the winner for Blair on Wednesday night at Snodland Town, his goal the only one in the SCEFL Premier Division midweek meeting, after goalkeeper Dan Ellis pulled off yet another penalty save.

That win followed the 3-1 loss to VCD - one which Jessup felt could have easily been different.

He said: “We were 1-0 up and should have had a penalty, we’ve checked the video, it’s a blatant penalty and the referee gave it but he then spoke to his linesman who was shaking his flag for offside.”

Blair didn’t get the penalty and VCD equalised on the break after a great chance of their own was headed at the keeper.

Jessup said: “I sound like a typical manager making excuses, that is not really my style, I feel I am quite a realist, but it is just about those margins, it could have been two or three nil at half-time, we did ride out luck at times, but that is what you have to do in this league.”

Blair are at home to Punjab United on Saturday.