ALEX Browne has been named as Dorchester Town's new assistant-manager.

The defender was unveiled in his new role, one that also sees him continue as a player, at a Press conference yesterday afternoon at the Jewson Stadium.

Paul Compton, whose stepson was involved in a car crash earlier this month, has relinquished his role as assistant boss.

Browne will now act as right hand man to Shaun Brooks, who has altered his own role at the club - from director of football to manager.

Browne though, is pleased with his new capacity. He said: "I'm absolutely delighted. With all the values I was brought up with such as commitment, hard work and desire, if I can portray some of those on to the players then that's half the battle won, and with the coaching of some talent we'll be on to a winner.

"I'll be here to take some of the workload off Shaun but he's still the gaffer. The chances of me playing 45 games are slim but I've still got things to offer and to also help the team develop."

Manager Brooks said: "Alex brings a wealth of experience and he knows the BGB Southern Premier Division inside out.

"Alex is on board, first and foremost, for his knowledge and experience. It's fantastic if the decision appeases the fans but it's not for that reason alone, it's about his qualities.

"We do want to win back the fans and hopefully we'll do that with good performances and more stability."

Majority shareholder Eddie Mitchell was also happy with the appointment of Browne. He said: "I think it will work well and I'm sure Alex will complement Shaun and vice versa."

The decision to install Browne as the club's new number two is sure to go down well with the Magpies' faithful, to whom the 35-year-old issued a rallying call.

He added: "I appreciate the fans saw stuff they didn't like last season but we need them more than ever. We need more numbers through the gates to get more money and bring in more players."

Although Compton is no longer his assistant, Brooks is still hopeful of finding a role for the former Weymouth boss while Roy O'Brien, a player-coach during last season, is expected to play a similar part this coming campaign.

Brooks added: "I wanted to keep Paul in some sort of capacity. He did a fantastic job last season after coming in at a difficult time and unfortunately I had my illness, his role was to scout players but he ended up becoming a manager and took a lot of undeserved flack on the chin.

"We'll speak to him on an ongoing basis but at the moment, for personal reasons, he feels he can't commit to the club.

"We value Roy as a player and he has got a community role with Yeovil Town so we don't want to burden him, however, he will help out as he can in a coaching role.

"We just want to make sure we utilise him as a player for the club's well being. We will also be looking to bring one more coach in.

"Everything we do now has got to be geared towards getting back to the Blue Square South at the first opportunity."

Brooks confirmed that Browne's contract will remain part-time while also stating that the Magpies' new club captain will be announced during pre-season.