Ian was appointed the first team manager in December 2024.

The then 49-year-old former Barwell and Coalville Town manager joined with the club five points adrift in the relegation zone following Carl Adams' departure with the task of keeping Valley in the NPL Midlands.

Unfortunately despite making improvements over the seasons he could not quite guide the club to safety and left the club in April 2025 at the conclusion of the season.

Ian's managerial experience has almost exclusively been with Southern League Premier clubs which started with Stratford Town in 2021 when he took over from Tim Flowers.

Following that he guided Barwell to an excellent eighth-placed finish in 2023 before taking on the reins at Coalville earlier this year before the Ravens decided to drop down out of the Southern League.

Rugby-born Ian emerged onto the non-league scene as an 18-year-old midfielder at Butlin Road over 30 years ago when he helped guide Valley to promotion from the Southern League Midland Division scoring 21 league goals.

Ian made 51 appearances for Rugby scoring 26 goals across three spells for the club including two further short spells in 2002 and 2004.

King's coaching experience also includes a management spell with Daventry Town in 2017/18 as well as coaching roles with Leamington, Bromsgrove Sporting and Worcester City.

A former Aston Villa trainee in his playing days Ian signed for Stoke City from his first spell with Rugby before featuring for a host of top non-league league sides such as Rushden and Diamonds, Nuneaton Borough, Telford United, Aylesbury United, Stevenage Borough and Kettering Town before spending a chunk of time in Australia.