Brown, who has guided Perkins to the championship in their final campaign, will succeed Simon Dethick at Outgang Road in the summer. He is taking his Perkins goalkeeper Gianni Salerno as number two.

The former Northern Star chief admitted he had contact from 'two or three' local clubs but has decided to move to Deeping.

He said: "Deeping Sports is a club with big ambition, a good base, excellent facilities and strong people behind the scenes.

"They are not a million miles away from being a top side at this level and the challenge for me is to make that happen.

"I must stress this is a fresh start for myself and not just a case of the Perkins team wheeling up in a new place. My aim is to create a team capable of performing at a consistently high level and challenging for honours on a regular basis."

Ironically Brown's current crop of Perkins players brought the curtain down on their successful final league season by drawing 1-1 at Deeping Sports on Saturday.

Dave Weston gave Deeping the lead in the last game of Dethick's 10-year reign with a smart free-kick, but substitute Ashley Favell rescued a point for the champions with a last-gasp leveller.

Perkins still have the small matter of the PFA Senior Cup final against Parson Drove at London Road on the horizon on Bank Holiday Monday.

Brown added: "Deeping already have plenty of quality there and I would hope all the lads currently there remain.

"It was disappointing not to get a result as Deeping are the only team we have failed to beat this season, but there is not a lot to be disappointed about.

"We are going to win the league by a big margin so we must have done something right."

Perkins will top the charts by at least eight points and possibly as many as 15. That is a glowing endorsement of Brown's managerial ability and Dethick is convinced Deeping have pulled off a coup by landing his services.

He said: "It is time for fresh blood at the club and it doesn't get any better than Alex at this level of football.

"I had a chat with him and he said he would love the job. I will stay on the committee and I hope we can have a great future with Alex at the helm."

OUNDLE manager Danny Clifton admitted the manner of the club's relegation could not have been more painful.

Clifton's side had to win their final game of the season at second-placed Hampton to climb off the bottom of the Premier Division and avoid the drop, instead sending Crowland down.

And everything was going to plan as Oundle held a 2-0 lead with just 17 minutes remaining courtesy of a Glenn Bolden brace.

But Hampton hit back through a quickfire Ricky Brown double to salvage a 2-2 draw that left Oundle doomed and their manager gutted.

Clifton said: "The fact we got so close to saving ourselves made it all the more painful, but that is the story of our season.

"The lads gave everything they had but it just wasn't enough in the end.