Dean Whitehouse happy to have the Lye fans onside

But he is excited by the prospect of being backed rather than barracked by the Sports Ground faithful after upping sticks from Dudley.

Midland League Premier outfit Lye have made Whitehouse the man to lead them forward after former boss Andy Wyton stepped down.

Whitehouse leaves Dudley Town having done an impressive job over 18 months with the Robins in the West Midlands Premier Division, the tier below.

He guided Dudley, who were battling the drop at the time of his 2017 appointment, to an eye-catching 10th-place finish last season with an average age group of 19 years old.

Lye themselves finished a solid 10th in the division above under Wyton, and Whitehouse is ready to sample the ‘Lye feeling’ while being part of the home club.

“I used to hate playing there and I did not like it there as a visiting manager,” said Whitehouse of his new home.

“You get the sense you were in for a battle. Lye is Lye, you get that feeling as soon as you go through the door there. There’s no airs and graces. The crowd tell you – they’re passionate. I’ve seen 100-plus down there on a Tuesday night.

“They take no prisoners, which I really like. These are good, old, honest Black Country blokes that will tell you as it is, no qualms.

“If they don’t like a sub or you lose, they will tell you. I like that.

“It was hard to leave Dudley. It’s not an ambition thing because I’ve been there. It’s a solid grounding and stability.

“The people at Dudley are fantastic. If Craig and I could take the whole entourage then we would. They work so hard.”

Whitehouse is taking his Dudley No.2 Craig Love across the Black Country. Colin Debney also comes across as general manager.

Grant Joshua, who was already at Lye, remains at the club as joint-assistant.

Whitehouse, who managed Tividale to a league and cup double in 2011, is known for demanding an attractive style of football and wants to implement that in the division above.

He is set to take a couple of promising young players that thrived for his Dudley team last season and give them a chance at step five, but is warning there is a considerable leap in standards.

“For me, it’s more about can the lads we bring a long make the step up?” Whitehouse added.

“You also need that stability of experienced players who have been there and done it.

“Lads will come with us for our brand of football but it will be a challenge. They’ll all be in for a culture shock.

“It’ll be no gravy train, they will have to earn it. I say it as it is and if not, then it’s ‘bye’ and on to the next. I’m not being big-headed but I’ve not got time for that.”

Whitehouse has no lack of ambition at Lye but hopes fans and onlookers see a different approach.

“You’ve got to be in it to win it,” added the former Tipton, Tividale and Gornal player.

“But we’re a million miles from that, so it’s small steps. Hopefully they will see what we try to bring. Not change everything, just move them forward structure-wise.

“We might lose a few but people say they enjoy the style of football I try and play and what they are paying to watch.

“We are under no illusions it won’t be pretty all the time. It’s a hard league.”