FORMER Southampton, Aldershot Town and Crawley Town coach Sam Waters has been appointed manager of the newly-formed Basingstoke Town Under-21 Elite Development Squad.

The programme, aimed at helping to further develop players graduating from the club's Academy, was set up earlier this summer.

Waters, who has worked in Southampton's successful youth programme, has also held senior management roles at Aldershot and Crawley and is currently working towards his UEFA A Licence.

Basingstoke Town manager, Jason Bristow, said: "Sam will bring a wealth of experience in youth development to Basingstoke Town.

"He has a proven track record of producing football players at a variety of levels and will play an integral role in producing future first team players for Basingstoke Town."

Joining Waters in the under-21 management team will be Stephen Mills, goalkeeper coach Danny Kelly and Ben Shore.

Bristow added: "Stephen, David and Ben each bring with them their own experiences and knowledge of the game. I am very confident that as a team, they will succeed and help create a brighter future for the club."

The under-21s will play some of their matches at the home of Frimley Green as part of a deal that will also see promising youngsters given the chance to play in the Combined Counties League.

The under-21s will travel to take on Frimley Green in a pre-season friendly on Saturday (3pm). Admission is free and there will be a barbecue after the match.