DANNY Searle would relish the chance to be Braintree Town's manager past the end of the current campaign.

Searle has found himself at the helm as the Iron's third boss of a difficult year in the Vanarama National League and takes his team to promotion-chasing Solihull Moors on Saturday with them still sat rock bottom of the table despite a rousing 3-0 win at Sutton United in midweek.

It has not been an easy time for Searle after he took over following the departure of Hakan Hayrettin in January as he inherited a side that was already waging a tough war against relegation.

However, it hasn't been an experience that has turned him off the idea of being Braintree Town manager and, if the club's board offer him the chance, he said he would welcome the opportunity of continuing past the end of April.

“The conversation has come up and the board have to do what is best for the football club," he said.

“I believe in my ability to do my job and my ability to create an environment and culture at Braintree Town that will stand us in good stead over a long period of time.

“At the end of the day, it’s ultimately a decision that will come down to the board, but in terms of me wanting to be here, it’s yes.

“Everybody here has been magnificent to me.

“When I see people in and around the ground, they have been so supportive.

“That all gives you heart and hope, but it also gives signals that there is something to build on."

With the Iron not knowing yet which division they will be placed in next year if relegated - either National League North or South - Searle said it was leading to a level of uncertainty.

However, he is making plans for whatever comes so he will be ready if the club decide they do want him to stay on a manager.

He added: "The best thing for us to do is to have contingencies for both and I’m already looking at players and pre-season with the environment we are looking to create.

“If the board and the club decide they want me to be the person to take it forward then I’ll be ready and if they don’t, then they don’t.

“That’s the game - the bottom line is they have to be comfortable and do what is best for the club."

If he is given the chance to continue, Searle said he wanted to make sure the team were fully connected with the town of Braintree and to enable a flow of young talented players through to first-team level.

Having worked within a Premier League Academy structure at West Ham, he said he had seen how that worked with a club trying to reach out further into the local community.

He has already brought young players Jayden Gibson and Alfie Cerulli into his squad after seeing them impress for the Braintree Town Academy side and said that's the type of blueprint that can help the whole club prosper.

“When you talk about plans as a manager of a club, you have to know where you want to go," he added.

“You have to accept there will be ups and downs and sometimes the downs come first.

“Part of my strategy is that this is a town football club and the town needs to be involved and embraced more.

“The fact that we are bringing in young players from local teams is something that is happening and is going to continue to happen while I’m here.

“From a youth team and Academy perspective, there has to be a culture and it has to go from top to bottom and bottom to top and that is how I want to see it happen.

“When people come to Braintree, we have to make sure they know this is a complete club.

“There is a lot to be proud of here and young players coming through are part of that.

“It ultimately comes down to the football on the pitch and you want to play at the highest level you can – I get that – but sometimes you have to speculate to accumulate.

“That’s what we are trying to do now and we have to make sure that whatever league we are in, we are in a better situation off the field than where we were the season before.

“Building the infrastructure and making sure there is a supply of young players who are local is something every club wants.

“Whether you are in the Premier League or Conference North or South, to have local lads coming through is the dream.

“That Harrogate side we saw on Saturday was pretty much all lads who are local to them.

“It brings a unity and togetherness that can get you points from games where you maybe didn’t deserve to get them."