FORMER Swindon Town manager Luke Williams has been appointed head coach of National League side Notts County.

Williams - who will be assisted by ex-Swindon midfielder Ryan Harley - takes over from Ian Burchnall after he left Nottinghamshire in May to take charge of League One Forest Green Rovers.

Following a two-year stint as Mark Cooper's assistant at the County Ground, the former Brighton and Hove Albion academy coach took charge of Town for around 18 months but left his role months after signing a new five-year contract when the Robins were relegated in 2017.

Having experienced spells as Bristol City's Under-23s boss and as Russell Martin's number two at Championship side Swansea City, Williams will attempt to lead one of the biggest non-league clubs back to the professional ranks.

The team who Town relegated out of the English Football League in 2019 say Williams "fully understands the pressure and expectation that comes with this role" but remains confident he can lead the club back into League Two.

In a statement from County, the club stated they felt Williams was "the perfect man to take us forward."

It continued: “We’re delighted that Luke and Ryan have joined us as our new head coach and assistant head coach.

“Between them they have the right management skills and experience of all EFL divisions, as well as the National League, which we believe will help us achieve our goal of promotion and getting back to where we feel we belong.

“Luke's values and playing principles are aligned with our own and we feel the continuity and consistency this brings will be a huge factor in ensuring a smooth transition to his leadership.

“We have been very impressed not only with Luke’s general character, but also his excitement about this opportunity and his fierce determination to succeed.

“He fully understands the pressure and expectation that comes with this role and we can see he’s ready to take on the challenge.

“Luke has already met with our recruitment team to discuss our current squad and ongoing transfer targets and we look forward to working closely with him to build a team which will give us the best possible chance of earning the promotion we all crave in 2022-23.”