New King’s Lynn boss vows to bring energy, unity and belief back to National League North club

Ian Culverhouse has vowed to bring energy, unity and belief back to The Docherty Walks Stadium as the club battles to climb the National League North table.

Culverhouse resigned as St Albans City boss on Tuesday morning before his swift appointment was confirmed by the Linnets after the 3-0 defeat at Curzon Ashton on Tuesday night.

The 61-year-old has replaced Joe Simpson, who had been in interim charge since James Rowe’s departure in September.

Speaking to the club after his reappointment, the former Norwich City defender said he was excited about the opportunity to return to familiar surroundings.

Culverhouse said: “I’ve always kept an eye on it from afar, once you leave,” he admitted.

“I was really excited when the phone call came in. There’s a lot of work to do, but I think we’re all right. We’ll come in with fresh eyes and optimism and give it a real go.”

The move came together rapidly. Culverhouse explained that Lynn handled the process properly, and his availability helped speed things up.

“Yeah, it came out of the blue really,” he said..

“The club did everything properly, went through the right channels, asked permission to speak to St Albans.

"We weren’t under contract there, they decided not to put us on forms, so we were free to speak.

"It’s been a quick turnaround, but it needed to be because of the position we find ourselves in.”

Culverhouse first arrived at The Walks in 2017, guiding the club to promotion from the Southern League via the Super Play-Off final at Warrington.

A second successive promotion followed in 2020, when Lynn were elevated to the National League after topping the table on a points-per-game calculation when Covid curtailed the campaign.

He left in 2021 with Lynn struggling at National League level, but now returns with long-time assistant Paul Bastock as part of a new regime under changed ownership - a shift which has eased previous tensions that marked his earlier tenure.

“We’ve had really good success here in the past,” Culverhouse reflected.

“The club’s moved on, and we can sense the opportunity again. But the important thing now is getting results and confidence back.”

Confidence, he believes, is the key to unlocking the potential of a youthful, energetic squad.

“They’ve been in games, they’ve created chances, but they’ve just been on the wrong side of results,” he said.

“Football’s always about what happens in both boxes. We need to be sharper in one and tighter in the other.”

Culverhouse and Bastock will take training on Thursday and Friday ahead of Saturday’s crucial trip to Southport, who are bottom of the National League North.

“We’ve got to hit the ground running,” Culverhouse said.

“Confidence only comes from winning games, and we haven’t done that recently. So we’ll get amongst the players, get them believing, and see where we can go.”

He stressed that his immediate focus will be on the current squad rather than new additions.

“We’ll assess the squad quickly,” he said.

“We’ve got to work with what we’ve got and be competitive in every game. The position we’re in is a bit false, it’s about turning those small moments in our favour.”

And he knows fan backing will be crucial in that fight.

“If the fans can come out and give us a hand, that’ll be huge,” he said.

“When this place is rocking, it’s an intimidating atmosphere. Let’s get The Walks bouncing again.”