Steve Ibbitson insists he is only keeping the manager’s seat at Lewes warm.

The 58-year-old, who was appointed caretaker manager on Wednesday, has no intentions of going for the job on a full-time basis.

Ibbitson will take charge for the first time at home to Kidderminster tomorrow and is sure to get a warm reception from fans who have welcomed his appointment.

The club have made it clear they will not recruit a permanent manager until their off-field financial predicament is resolved, which is why they turned to youth team boss Ibbitson as Kevin Keehan’s short-term successor.

Ibbitson said: “I have been here five or six years and I love the club. I just want to help them out. I have made it clear I am not the man to take them forward longer term.

“I love working with the under-18s and that is what I want to do but I will keep the ship going to give them the breathing space they need.

“It will be a difficult job. We won’t go out on Saturday and beat Kidderminster 6-0. If we do I might be out on the town on Saturday night! People need to give us some breathing space.

“Hopefully they will be patient and we can give the club that bit of time they need to sort things out off the field.”

Ibbitson has built a reputation as a coach who can get the best out of players at his disposal.

His own career started in the juniors at Leeds United and Scunthorpe before heading south to spend a season with Albion, where he played for the reserves.

Freddie Goodwin, a former Busby Babe at Manchester United, spotted Ibbitson while winding down his playing career at Leeds and persuaded the youngster to move to Sussex after taking over as Albion manager.

Although he was ultimately released, Ibbitson remained in the area, playing for Leatherhead, Sutton and Horsham before moving into coaching.

The work he and Jason Hopkinson have done with Lewes under-18s has caught the eye.

Together they helped the Rooks reach the third round of the FA Youth Cup before going out to Premier League side Hull City. They have also nurtured the progress of current first teamers like David Wheeler and Fred Foreman.

Wheeler and Tim Rivers return to the squad for tomorrow’s game after missing Tuesday’s match at Rushden, which brought the curtain down on Keehan’s time in charge.

Ibbitson spent yesterday talking to the rest of the squad and hoping to avoid any departures in the wake of Keehan’s exit.

He could further dip into the youth squad to bolster the first-team or use last year’s youth teamers like Medi Koroma or Andy Wilkinson, who have been playing for the reserves, but Ibbitson wants to make sure he has the existing players on board first.

He said: “I have a good, professional set of lads and I am sure they were loyal to Kevin but I expect them to continue to support the club. I have no indications that any of them will leave.

“The main target is steadying the ship. I was a very committed player and my view is we go out to get something from every game.

“I am not going to come in and say we will start to win games regularly. We are in a difficult league with the same players we have had all season. The most important thing is to settle things down and look to get some points.”

Hopkinson and youth team coach Steve Eke will assist Ibbitson while skipper Danny Cullip will also offer help, although he has made it clear he wants to concentrate on playing.

Cullip was initially unveiled as player-coach to Ibbitson but, while he remains fully committed to the club, he says he does not want that role.

He said: “The reason I was named player-coach was to help Kevin out. He was under pressure and he thought if he named me as player-coach it might take the pressure off him.

“I want to concentrate on playing. I came to the club as a player and I want to carry on doing that.

“I will always help out in the changing room as a player and captain. I don’t need a title to do that.”

Lewes (provisional): Banks, Barness, Cullip, Butters, Fisk, Breach, Wheeler, Wilkinson, Keehan, Standing, Cox, Henry, Foreman, Rivers, Hall.

Kidderminster: Bartlett, Lowe, Riley, Creighton, Baker, Penn, McPhee, Bennett, Knights, Barnes-Homer, Richards, Smikle, Moore, Carr, Brittain, Jones.

Follow Lewes LIVE against Kidderminster tomorrow at theargus.co.uk/livereports