Boss Mettam believes his permanent appointment brings stability to Steel Park

The 39-year-old was promoted from his interim role after just a matter of weeks and two competitive matches, and Mettam celebrated with an excellent 2-1 win at second-placed Belper Town on Saturday.

That was a win that saw the Steelmen rise back up to sixth in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midlands Division, and they will be looking to follow it up this Saturday when third-placed Anstey Nomads are the visitors to Steel Park.

It has been a tough six weeks or so at Steel Park following the departure of previous boss Gary Setchell and a host of players in the wake of much-publicised budget cuts.

But owners James Longley and Paul Glass, along with chairman Steve Noble, have now put their faith in Mettam after he impressed in the interim role he took up in the week before Christmas.

"I spoke to the owners, and they were pleased with what we had done in such a short space of time," Mettam told @corbytownfc.

"We got thrown in at the deep end with budget cuts and players leaving, and lads that are sticking around not sticking around and all the rest of it.

"So I think what they have seen us do hasn't got unnoticed, the effort we are trying to put in, because football is not just a Wednesday, Saturday thing, it is seven days a week.

"Your phone is going from 7am until 11 at night, and there is a lot that goes with it.

"But the owners were positive, and they said to me 'would you be willing to take it until the end of the season, and we will then give you next season as well'.

"So it's not just to the end of the season, it is going forward as well, and it gives everybody a bit of stability.

"It gives me and (assistant) Danny Brooks a great chance at a great club, with great people all pulling in the right direction, and it also gives the players a little bit of stability.

"They know we are going to be here, they know we are going to be around, and they know our philosophy and what to expect.

"So when they are young and they are still learning their trade, that is what they need.

"They don't want chopping and changing, they want to be told when they are good, when they are bad, and they want to know why we think those things.

"The game has changed from when I was a young boy, when you used to go in the changing room and you'd just get hammered and you'd be like 'right, I'll show you'.

"You've got to treat them differently now, and I am learning that as well. I am a young manager learning my trade, trying to learn my trade, and it is all positive from our end."

The Steelmen were due to play Coleshill Town on Wednesday night, but the match was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.