Jimmy Dean has been appointed as the new manager of Spalding United
The lure of an exciting long-term challenge helped attract Jimmy Dean to become the new manager of Spalding United.
The former Scunthorpe and Peterborough Sports boss was unveiled as the new Tulips manager last week after succeeding Elliot Sandy.
Dean enjoyed a terrific tenure as Sports boss and led the Peterborough club to four promotions as they reached step two of the non-league pyramid.
He won promotion from the Southern League Premier Division Central where the Tulips ply their trade following last season's title-winning campaign.
Dean said: "I am excited about the challenge ahead.
"I said to the chairman that it probably came a little bit early for me but it's a challenge that really interests me which is why I've taken it.
"It's going to be a long-term one but ultimately one that I think we can be successful with."
Dean has had a summer away from the game after departing Scunthorpe United following their defeat in the National League North play-offs last season.
He commented: "I probably wanted a little bit longer to spend time with my family and my life away from football.
"We had another week of holiday planned but we gave that up to get stuck straight into it.
"The chairman has been great with me.
"He knows where we are and I think this level has been a wake-up call.
"I think going from four to three is the biggest step in non-league football and the chairman is up for it.
"It's why he's gone for me. He wants to give me full control of the football side of things and, although we might need to reset a bit, we'll do it quickly."
It means Spalding now face a replay in Derbyshire on Tuesday night with Dean looking for another solid response from his charges.
He added: "The players have responded. They gave us a lot on Saturday and left it all out there.
"We've now got to go again on Tuesday and try and get this tie won.
"We were looking forward to having two sessions with the players this week but it is what it is. We've got a draw and we've still got a chance of going through.
"We will know who we're playing if we win and there were lots of positives to take from the game on Saturday."
