GEOFF Butler is back in football as the new manager of Bashley.

The 57-year-old, who spent 18 years in charge of Salisbury City, was yesterday named as the successor to John Robson at the Recreation Ground helm.

Butler has been out of football since the end of the 2002/3 season when he was unceremoniously dumped by the new regime at Weymouth, having worked miracles to keep the Terras in the Dr Martens Premier Division.

It followed an equally unpalatable end to his long stint at Salisbury when he was made redundant from his full-time job as team/commercial manager in March 2001 amid a background of political and financial turmoil.

Although Bashley have had their own times of crisis in recent years, Butler reckons life with the Isthmian Division 1 new boys will make a pleasant change from the strife at Weymouth.

The former Middlesbrough, Chelsea and Norwich City defender said: "I've got no worries about taking over at Bashley.

"Although I haven't had any daily contact with clubs for a year now, I didn't when I took over at Weymouth and I still managed to sign five players - Toby Redwood, Jason Matthews, Martin Sullivan, Danny Bailey and Steve Tulley - who were voted numbers one to five in the supporters' player-of-the-year poll.

"I hadn't realised what a can of worms Ricky (assistant manager Ricky Haysom) and I were walking into at Weymouth.

"It was in complete disarray. We worked miracles to keep them up, only to be kicked in the teeth when the new regime came in.

"Hopefully we'll do well for Bashley and this time we'll be appreciated."

Southampton-based Haysom was also Butler's right-hand man at Salisbury and, by coincidence, is already at Recreation Ground having assisted Robson last season.

Haysom's knowledge of the squad will be invaluable to the new boss, who has precious little time to settle in before pre-season training starts again next month.

Striker Stuart Cannie has already left the club for Winchester City and there are several others like Andy Darnton, Mark Lisk, Mark Jones and Gareth Keeping whose futures have yet to be resolved.

Since leaving Salisbury, Butler has set up his own business, Geoff Butler Sporting Enterprises, specialising in sportsmen's dinners, golf days etc, and part of his Bashley remit will be to work alongside secretary Pete Plowman in the commercial wing of the club.

Butler beat off some fierce competition for the job, including former Newport IoW boss Steve Tate.

Derek Binns, the Bash vice-chairman and director of football said: "We're very grateful to all those who applied, but we've got the man we want.

"Geoff's main duty will be managing first-team affairs, but he will also bring with him commercial expertise.

"Bashley's a bit different to the likes of Eastleigh because we're a New Forest village club.

"We need to generate cash where we can through friends and businesses."