A football manager has to make many tough decisions.

Which players to sign, which players to sell, what starting line-up to choose and whether to play the diamond formation or not.

Steven King's latest dilemma at Lewes is which shade of caramel to paint the revamped clubhouse.

While most people involved in non-league football have been on holiday or putting their feet up watching Euro 2004, King has hardly broken for breath.

Most of last season's squad have signed new contracts and King has lined up five new signings, including one player with a colourful past, but his work has not stopped there.

King has taken it upon himself to oversee work on the clubhouse and other ground developments. He has spent most of June working at the Dripping Pan - all on a voluntary basis.

The bubbly 36-year-old has a vision for Lewes and he lives by the ethos, 'If you want a job done, do it yourself.'

Comparing him to Sir Alex Ferguson might be pushing things but the way King has grabbed the club by the scruff of the neck and dragged it forward is not dissimilar to the Manchester United manager.

So who exactly is Steven King?

That was the question everyone was asking a year ago when he was named as Jimmy Quinn's successor and, despite unprecedented success, a lot of people are still none the wiser.

Married to Zoey, King has two daughters, Skye and Summer, and a third child on the way.

A private man, he is cagey about what he does for a living. "It's nothing dodgy," he insists. He used to run a sandwich business which he sold, now he works within football, scouting young players for professional clubs.

He drives a Mercedez so life cannot be too bad. Busy, but not bad.

King clocked up 30,000 miles last year going to look at players. He watched 120 games, not including 61 competitive games in charge of Lewes. Add in friendlies and reserve matches and you see a man dedicated to achieving success.

That came in the shape of the Ryman division one south title and a double promotion to the Conference south via the play-offs.

"I want this club to go somewhere," said King. "The day this club stands still, I won't be here. I have ambitions to manage in the Football League. Whether I can do that with Lewes, why not? Wimbledon did it."

Perhaps that comment was tongue in cheek but King knows all about the mercurial rise of Wimbledon.

Life began as a schoolboy with the Dons. He was not taken on as an apprentice and had trials with a number of other league clubs, including Crystal Palace, before dropping into the non-league game.

A right winger, he played for Tiptree, Croydon Athletic, Tooting and Whyteleafe as well as a spell as an 18-year-old playing for a club called Every in the south of France.

But management was always his destiny and King was still in his twenties when he began coaching youngsters at Wimbledon. Scouting roles followed at Fulham and Tottenham and he was assistant-manager at Dulwich before joining Lewes where his drive and ambition instantly struck a chord.

He said: "I was only told on the pitch after the last game of the season that when I went for the interview, I was the only guy who said he could win the league.

"Some of the board wondered, 'Who is this guy?' and there may have been a concern because I had no previous management experience but how do you gain experience?

"I met the fans after getting the job and I told them I would guarantee they would see some exciting players. I haven't let them down."

The two things that stand out about King are his knowledge of the non-league game and his contacts within football, which certainly helped with signing players like former Manchester United striker Marc Whiteman and ex-Coventry midfielder Junior Kadi.

King said: "My knowledge comes through my enthusiasm for football. I like to know what is going on. If I read about someone who is banging in goals for Shepshed Dynamos, I will jump in a car and drive 200 miles just to watch him.

"I go over to Ireland for the Milk Cup (a junior tournament) every year. Scouts from all the big clubs are there, which is how I first came across Marc Whiteman.

"I know the chief European scout at Manchester United and I also know the scout who found David Beckham. If people knew half the people I know they would be gobsmacked."

King is relishing the chance to manage in the new Conference south. Outwardly, he will talk about consolidation, inwardly he wants more.

He said: "I am probably the youngest manager in non-league football at this level. I know how to improve this club and I have the drive to do it."

King oozes enthusiasm and determination and you sense his success story has only just begun.

As for the caramel paint? He would not leave anything to chance and accompanied the painter to the warehouse to choose it himself. Perfection? That's what King wants.