IT’S easy to see why Andrew Fitton and the County Ground board finally identified Danny Wilson as the frontman for their second attempt to lead Town into a successful era.

Six weeks on from Maurice Malpas’s departure, few can argue that the board were very deliberate and pain-staking in their approach, even if, ironically, their chosen one came into the frame late in the day.

After the failed experiment with Malpas, Fitton and co made a point of insisting experience and ambition would be the key attributes they were looking for in their next manager.

Wilson, with a track record of trophy wins and promotions as a player and manager, ticks those boxes.

Much-travelled in his playing days as an all-action midfielder, the Wigan-born man was capped 24 times by Northern Ireland, lifted the League Cup with both Luton Town and Sheffield Wednesday, who he both went on to manage, and was a League and FA Cup runner-up with the Owls in 1993.

Hanging up his boots in the mid-1990s with Barnsley after becoming player-manager at Oakwell, Wilson led the Tykes into the Premiership for the first time in their 110-year history as Division One runners-up.

The top-flight stay proved a short one, although Wilson did mastermind an FA Cup defeat of Manchester United and in 1998 he returned to Hillsborough for a tempestuous spell as manager, also in the Premiership.

Sacked in March 2000, he resurfaced three months later at Bristol City, guiding them to a Football League Trophy triumph against Carlisle at Cardiff, in which current Town star Lee Peacock scored.

However, in 2004, his contract was not renewed after defeat in the Division Two play-off final against Brighton, conquerors of Andy King’s Swindon Town.

Next up for Wilson was a stint at MK Dons, whom he saved from relegation in 2004-05. A year later however, the Dons dropped into League Two and Wilson was sacked on May 10, 2006.

A month later Hartlepool, who had been relegated with Milton Keynes to League Two, installed him as boss and he led them straight back up at the first attempt. His stint at Victoria Park ended in surprise circumstances on December 15.

Town fans will now be praying he can not only lift them clear of the bottom of League One, but guide them towards the Championship football they crave.

FULL NAME: Danny Joseph Wilson DATE OF BIRTH: January 1, 1960 PLACE OF BIRTH: Wigan, Greater Manchester PLAYING POSITION: Midfield PLAYING CAREER: 1977-80: Bury; 1980-83: Chesterfield; 1983: Nottingham Forest; 1983: Scunthorpe (loan); 1983-87: Brighton; 1987-90: Luton Town; 1990-93: Sheffield Wednesday; 1993-95: Barnsley CAREER APPEARANCES: 626 CAREER GOALS: 96 HONOURS: 1988 League Cup (Luton); 1991 League Cup (Sheffield Wednesday); 24 Northern Ireland caps, one goal MANAGERIAL CAREER: 1994-98: Barnsley; 1998-2000: Sheffield Wednesday; 2000-04: Bristol City; 2004-06: Milton Keynes Dons; 2006-08: Hartlepool HONOURS: Promotion to Premiership (1996 with Barnsley); Football League Trophy (2003, with Bristol City); Promotion from League Two (2007 with Hartlepool)