 His first game in charge finished as a 2–1 victory against Weymouth and after achieving five wins and a draw in six games, he was appointed as the club's permanent manager on 26 December 2007.He won the Conference National manager of the month award for December 2007, when the team gained 10 out of a possible 12 points in the league and made progress in the FA Trophy and Conference League Cup.He led the team to a 14th place finish in the Conference in the 2007–08 season, and also reached the semi-final of the FA Trophy and the fifth round of the Conference League Cup.