New Crawley Town manager Matthew Etherington admits he is 'extremely excited' about taking the reins at the League Two club.

Etherington has been appointed as the Reds new boss on an initial 18-month contract.

The former Tottenham midfielder has left his role as Peterborough’s Under-23 boss to take up the position and replace Kevin Betsy, who was sacked last month.

The 41-year-old Etherington, who has brought former Peterborough and Tottenham teammate Simon Davies in as his assistant, told the club website: “I am extremely excited. This is a great opportunity for both myself and Simon, and we are raring to go.

“I have had really positive discussions with the owners over a period of time.

“I met (director of football) Chris (Galley) a few days ago, and it is clear to see that this club is set up to be successful.

“The biggest thing for me is attacking and scoring goals. If you can get that right, along with a lot of other things, you have always got a chance. I’m really looking forward to meeting the lads and getting started.”

Lewis Young had impressed during a spell as caretaker boss, and co-chairman Preston Johnson said: “Lewis served the club excellently and steadied the ship in what was a difficult time after we had to let go of Kevin Betsy and Dan Micciche, and I would personally like to thank him for his service.”

Crawley are due to return to action at home against Swindon Town on Saturday, having not played last weekend.

They are currently in 19th place, four points above the relegation zone.