NEW Braintree Town manager Glen Driver insists he is ready to give younger players a chance to prove themselves in his Iron side this season.

Driver has been handed the task of reigniting Braintree's fortunes following their relegation from the Vanarama National League at the end of last season and the subsequent departure of boss Danny Searle to Aldershot Town.

Following the National League's annual meeting last weekend, it has been confirmed that the Iron will be in National League South next season and Driver is making plans ahead of the start of the campaign.

The early weeks of his tenure are set to feature plenty of building as he looks to assemble a squad and while he is hoping that some of last year's side will be staying put at Cressing Road, the new manager is looking to bring in some new faces.

He is well aware that he will have to operate within a tight budget, however, one thing that won't be a barrier to players coming on board is age.

Driver knows the value of having experienced players in his dressing room, but he is also happy to give youth a chance.

“I have never been a great believer in age or height," he said.

“I think if you are good enough then you are old enough.

“But I do believe you need that bit of experience to guide the younger players but they all have to be the right fit for this football club.

“The budget has been cut so if they are players looking for big big money then we won’t be able to have them.

“But if you are a player looking to put yourself in the shop window and you want to progress your football career, you are playing at a lower level or have been at a level above last year and you feel myself and Braintree are the right fit for yourself then come and give us a look."

Braintree were not afraid to blood youthful members of their squad last year, with Searle giving debuts to the likes of Alfie Cerulli, Jayden Gipson and Shane Temple and coaching younger players is not something that Driver will have to adapt to either.

He has had plenty of experience while working with young players in a number of roles - including a highly-successful stint as first-team manager - at his former club, Leiston.

Braintree chairman Lee Harding has also said recently that he wants to see young players being developed through the club and is excited by them establishing their own youth teams in the Eastern Junior Alliance this year.

Driver added: “When I took over at Leiston, we had a first-team, a reserves and under-18s and when I left, we had two under-16s and two 14s.

“When I’ve had conversations with the chairman (here at Braintree), youth is very important to me.

“I think the basis of any football club has to be its foundation.

“That is very important to what I believe in and the chairman believes in the youth as well.

“We have to first and foremost focus on the starting eleven in the first team, but the youth is very important and over the coming months we’ll sit down and look at how we can build that foundation to bring young players through a system that can support our first team."