Evans' appointment at Don Valley was met with some scepticism from supporters after chairman Tony Stewart went public about the "high calibre" of applicants for the role.

But Evans, whose colourful past has also been a contentious issue, knows he can do a job after he decided to quit Crawley.

"There will always be doubters, whoever was appointed here," he said. "Give us an opportunity to give you a team that you can be proud of.

"There will be some that doubt why the chairman appointed me ahead of some outstanding candidates and to those fans we just say give us a chance. They will be impressed with the signings we make in the summer."

On his past, Evans added: "It's nearly a decade ago now, if you make a mistake in life and you put your hands up and apologise how many times can they hit you with the same stick? I have been hit with a stick and took it on the chin."