Harry Watling has been given a first managerial opportunity since leaving Rangers last October. 

The 34-year-old was on Michael Beale’s coaching staff during an ill-fated 10 month spell at Ibrox. 

Watling had been out of work since until Ebbsfleet United of the English National League announced him as their new manager on Thursday morning.

On his appointment, he said: “I’m delighted to be here. It’s a brilliant setup at Ebbsfleet and it was really important to align myself with a club that allows me to play football on the front foot and the way I want to play it.

“I want to develop people here, and what I saw on the pitch on Tuesday night, I loved the commitment, the honesty and work rate, and the quality on show.

“It was a marker for the bare minimum I want to see and now myself, David and John can’t wait to get started in front of the Fleet fans on home soil against Hartlepool on Saturday.”

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CEO Damian Irvine added: “We are very strong on getting the right characters into this football club through rigorous processes, people who are devoted to the job, to the club and to their desire to succeed.

“Harry is one of those. The footballing world is a small one – players and coaches will know who commands respect and who is capable of leading and delivering results.

“With a new up-and-coming manager in Harry assisted by someone as hugely respected, experienced and successful in the industry as David Kerslake, our new management team will be getting to work immediately to deliver those results.

“We went through a process back in January for a new manager and so it hasn’t been a process we’ve had to start again from scratch when it came to do so this time.

“We’ve done our due diligence, we’ve done our groundwork and our planning and we’ve been able to move quickly to secure the right people with the right credentials who are very highly regarded in football coaching circles to take this club forward.”