Northampton Town have appointed Dean Austin as the club's new manager on a 2 year contract after an impressive spell in caretaker charge of the Cobblers since early April.
Chairman Kelvin Thomas said that his work in the caretaker role earned him the job on a full time basis.
"Dean inherited a difficult situation and a squad that lacked confidence but we think he handled things very well and has earned this opportunity," said the Northampton Town Chairman.
"He has overseen an improvement in the results and importantly, performances, and really connected the team back with the supporters. He managed to get the team playing in a very positive manner and on the front foot from a difficult starting point.
"Dean has a good football brain, he has enjoyed success at all levels of the game, and he is very strong on demanding the highest of standards from his players.
"He knows the club, he knows our squad and where we need to improve, he knows our Academy and the exciting batch of young players we have coming through, he knows what is required and we think he is the natural choice at this point.
"We believe Dean can instil a philosophy and a strategy around recruitment and player development that can take us forward.
"We have taken a lot of time over the last few weeks to carry out a detailed process of reviewing our position and where we need to be and looked at all the options available and Dean stood out to us as the best candidate for the role.
"As well as being able to observe Dean at work at close quarters over the last few weeks, we have also been able to talk about the future and how we want to return to a positive way of playing football.
"We have also spoken about how we want to ensure that we have characters in the squad who will give their all for the club and take the game to the opposition. Dean shares these goals with us and wants to play in this way. He has shown he can do this in the few weeks he was at the helm and now has the opportunity to show it over a longer period."
Dean Austin added, "I am very proud to have been appointed manager of Northampton Town. The Chairman, the board, the staff, the players and the supporters have had a glimpse at the way I want to work in the last few weeks and I have been delighted with the way everyone has responded.
"I expect the highest of standards, not just on a matchday but every day in training and it is important we create and develop a culture of excellence that allows the players to grow, flourish and excel.
"The supporters can expect us to play in an aggressive way and on the front foot. We will not be afraid to be brave or to take chances but I also want us to be horrible to play against.
"I am very excited by the crop of young players we have in the first team squad and coming through the Academy and it is important we work to develop that pathway further so that players from the under 9s upwards know the path is open for them.
"Our first priority is to try and get the club back to League 1 as soon as possible and to give the supporters some fun and entertainment along the way.
"We have an important summer ahead and we have a lot of work to do."
Jon Brady, who assisted with the first team in the last few weeks of the season, will return to his previous role as manager of the under 18 side and Austin was quick to praise him for his work.
"Jon has been a fantastic support," he said. "He is also doing a first class job helping to produce an exciting group of young players and he will revert back to that role to continue his excellent work albeit with additional first team responsibilities. Given we want that pathway to be open then we will continue to work very closely together and we will be making a new appointment of my assistant manager in due course."
As a player, Austin made more than 450 senior appearances, playing more than 100 times for both Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace. Austin began his coaching career as Head of Recruitment and coach at Southend United in 2005, helping the Shrimpers win two successive promotions to move from League 2 to the Championship.
He moved on to become assistant manager to Brendan Rodgers at Watford and followed Rodgers to Reading. Highly thought of by Watford supporters for his role at Vicarage Road, he returned to the club in January 2015, helping Slaviša Jokanovic's side to win promotion back to the Premier League.
Dean Austin will meet the media at Sixfields on Tuesday.