NICKY English is relishing the challenge after being appointed Whyteleafe's manager.

Chairman Mark Coote parted with Stuart Massey after having to cut the budget because of the recession and the Ryman League rejecting plans for Warlingham to share Church Road.

Coote decided to combine, as far as he could, youth and first team football, a decision with which ex-youth boss English is comfortable.

Having lifted Chipstead to promotion and a record 16th place finish in their first Ryman League season, English is confident of pushing Whyteleafe "to the play-offs".

The former AFC Wimbledon and Netherne boss, who took Chipstead to their most famous FA Cup tie at Torquay, will work alongside Jerry Scola, a former manager at Croydon Athletic, and use Danny Oakins and Gareth Graham as player-coaches.

He is also confident of bringing several players back from last season – despite the cut of money to bare expenses.

"I've had a nice year out," said English. "I needed the rest and I've refreshed myself.

"I've used lots of young players in my early days, including Lewis Taylor who is now at AFC Wimbledon.

"When I first started managing at 29, it was with the U10 side that had Steve Sidwell [now of Aston Villa]. I'm quite aware of youth players and if they are good enough I will use them."

The budgetary reduction does not worry him. He said: "It always annoyed me when I was at Chipstead that players would bang on about how much money they were getting.

"If they are interested in playing they don't need money, and if they were any good they would be getting £25,000 a year at a top club.

"I think Mark Coote has had enough of it over the years, trying to find money to keep players happy. We want to do really well this season because when you are winning it's fine. If you are winning and on £200 a week it's great, but if you are winning and on nothing, it's still great.

"All the time the country is in the state it's in there's not much money around.

"We're going to give players who have come out of AFC Wimbledon, Sutton or Carshalton a chance. There are many kids out of youth football who never get a chance and they give up when they are 22."

Having watched much football over the past year, the standard of the division, he says, has dropped.

"I'll be telling the boys I've got at Whyteleafe that have agreed to come back that they are good enough, if they have the right attitude, to win this league.

"If pre-season goes well and we get the right people interested we can make the play-offs."

Oakins is "very influential" he says, creating the right atmosphere and a "band of brothers" within the squad.

English believes he can get the best out of striker Darren Watson, if he gets fully fit, and also says he has also persuaded defender Fred Fleming and midfielder Daryl Coleman to stay at the club where they played last season.

Coote said Massey had been "umming and ahing" about staying on next season.

The former manager, Coote said, was looking to concentrate more on golf, in which his brother is a professional, and was concerned his time might be stretched between the two.

In addition, budgets were a concern after Leafe's plan to let Warlingham groundshare Church Road was initially rejected.

The chairman said: "I'm friends with Stuart and I didn't want to fall out come October if we hadn't got the money coming in and he started to get frustrated because of it."