WESSEX One outfit BAT have unveiled a 24-year-old as their new first-team boss.

Danny Ackland, a former first-year pro at Charlton Athletic, must be one of, if not the youngest managers in senior football.

He takes over the Southern Gardens reins from Andy Leader, who has upped sticks to Wessex League rivals Christchurch.

A professional football coach by trade, Ackland has worked for the Alan Ball Football Academy and now runs his own business, Speedsoccer, which works locally with Eastleigh and St Francis Youth and is looking to spread its wings in America and Spain.

He has coached and managed at Eastleigh for the last six years - four of them working in youth football alongside experienced duo Jim Nicholson and Derek Brewster, and two in charge of the reserves, the newly-crowned Wessex Combination West champions.

His appointment was confirmed yesterday by out-going BAT chairman Mick Geddes who, ironically, is moving in the other direction to Eastleigh.

Geddes said: "Dossie (Eastleigh manager Paul Doswell) put Danny on to us for a chat and we liked what we heard.

"Danny's very enthusiastic and his pedigree is excellent. He had a knee injury at Charlton and then had a bash in non-league with Bromley and did a bit of coaching with Chelsea.

"He's got access to a lot of young, quality players."

With Ian Knight moving back to Eastleigh from Winchester City to run their reserves, Fair Oak-based Ackland had been looking for a niche to develop his managerial career.

He said: "BAT's the perfect stepping stone for me and a good place for some of the Eastleigh reserves to come and base themselves.

"I'd like to bring the goalkeeper, Gary Morris, over and people like Sam Wyeth, who I've known since he was 16.

"I want BAT to be a predominantly young and energetic side that the players can use as a platform to progress to a higher league. I'll push them as high as they can go."

Ackland will shortly appoint an assistant manager.

"I'm looking for someone a bit older than me who knows the Wessex League well," he said.

Five players have already followed Leader to Christchurch - Simon Elliott, Lloyd Jenvey, Dave Roberts, Gareth Barfoot and Martin Rogers.