Heggs begins King's Lynn shake-up

Heggs (right) is a former West Brom, Swansea and Northampton striker

New manager Carl Heggs has wasted no time making his mark at King's Lynn, signing five players and appointing Andy Johnson as his assistant manager.

Johnson is the only player from last season to be offered a new playing deal, as well as the coaching post.

Heggs signed winger Owen Story, 24, and teenage midfielder Jordan Smith from former club Redditch on Thursday.

Goalkeeper Daniel Whatsize, 18, centre-half Joe Magunda, 20, and midfielder Lewis Webb, 18, have also joined Lynn.

Heggs told BBC Radio Norfolk that after the club's demotion to Unibond North, he is hoping to build a young team with the hunger to play themselves back into Blue Square North football and beyond.

"I want my players to go up into the Conference North, go into the Conference, into the Football League, I don't want them happy to be at King's Lynn," said Heggs.

"It'll be a mixture of youth, but not too young, mixed in with a few senior players who've got a desire to be a winner."

Heggs said he was delighted to have Johnson, with his top-level experience as a midfield player with Wales, West Brom, Nottingham Forest and Norwich, as his assistant to help out on and off the pitch.

"I was absolutely overwhelmed when he said he'd be my assistant manager," said Heggs.

"Andy's Andy, he's got a lot of experience and he'll still be a player.

"It's a family, we're all in it together. I won't identify myself as the manager with my initials on my top, we're all in it together."

After being given the job, Heggs expressed a need to base much of the Linnets' training in the Midlands in a bid to keep costs down for his squad.

But he has assured the club's fans that they will try to hold half of their training sessions in Norfolk to ensure the team does not lose it's local identity.

Heggs in action for Tamworth in the FA Cup against Stoke City

"They [the players] will know King's Lynn, they will get to know the area and the fans, and they'll get to know what's expected of them," he said.

"Just give me the opportunity to show everybody that I'm the right person for this job. If I lose the first five games then lob steak and kidney pies at me, I'll probably lob them back at you."

Heggs also confirmed that the club have been given permission to use indoor training facilities at Leicester City's Belvoir Drive complex during the winter.

"If it's snowing, or raining, or it's a frosty pitch, when everyone else is picking their noses watching East Enders we'll be in a £500,000 dome working on set-pieces," he added.

"We'll be organised for the opposition, and if we go and win that game 1-0, surely the King's Lynn fans aren't going to moan at me for training in Leicester."