Chairman: Wilson return is a fairy tale

​Wilson, 62, has been out of management for several years since leaving Nuneaton in 2016 but has been tempted back by the opportunity to be in charge of his home town club.

Wilson first joined the club aged 17, entering the first team in 1978/79 where he made 45 appearances and scored 13 goals.

It secured him a club record £25,000 transfer to Football League club Derby County. He then enjoyed a long career playing for Ipswich Town, Chelsea, Notts County, Walsall and Northampton Town, amassing 740 appearances and 207 goals. He was capped 42 times for Northern Ireland, scoring six goals.

He entered management with Northampton Town where he achieved promotion to League Two in 2000.

He went onto manage clubs including Bedford Town, Aylesbury United, Kettering Town and Ilkeston Town, t he latter seeing him also help run a talented academy that included current Southampton star Che Adams.

He managed Nuneaton Town from May 2015 to November 2016 before becoming a director of the Sportz Connexions football agency.

Johnson said: “I think I speak on behalf of Banbury past and present by expressing our pleasure at the appointment of Kevin Wilson as manager of Banbury United Football Club.

"Kevin’s homecoming is something of a fairy tale story for one of the club’s greatest ever players and we see in him the right experience and character to work with our squad, ensuring we remain playing football at this level and putting in the groundwork for a competitive 24/25 season.”

Wilson was delighted to be given the opportunity to take charge at United and return to the town where he was born and bred.

He said: “I’m delighted to come back to my roots at Banbury United and manage the club at this point in its history. The time is right. I love this club.

“I have been asked to come in, with the short-term goal of ensuring that Banbury United stays in the Vanarama National League North.

“The club is entering a very exciting phase, with an impending ground move that requires significant funds to be raised – we simply must stay in this league.

"From what we saw on Saturday, we have the talent on board to achieve this. I’ll have a different management style for sure, but I do not plan to make any rush decisions with the squad.

“Longer term, I’m keen that Banbury United improves the pathway to professional football for local youngsters.

“Banbury served me well as a teenager and I would like to give something back to the promising talent of the town.”

Wilson met the players and coaching staff ahead of last Tuesday’s National League North home fixture against Darlington and took charge for the first time at Chester on Saturday.

See this week’s Guardian for his reaction to that game.