BARNET saviour Giuliano Grazioli believes the appointment of Lawrie Sanchez as their new manager is a great coup for the club.

Grazioli was confirmed as assistant manager at Underhill after his heroics as caretaker boss helped them avoid the drop from League Two in a dramatic final day.

Former Northern Ireland and Fulham boss Sanchez acted as a consultant during their final four games and has been persuaded to return to management after a four year break since losing his job at Craven Cottage.

Grazioli said: “Who would have thought Barnet would have Lawrie Sanchez at the football club? I think everyone at the club deserves credit for getting Lawrie back into management and keeping him here.

“Lawrie has a wealth of experience and a shrewd tactical mind. He is a very clever man and has good contacts which is obviously very important. It was great to bounce ideas off him during the run-in.

“He is a big name and it is testament to the chairman for getting him to Barnet and also credit goes to the players for the way they performed while he was here. The chairman has to take credit for persuading Lawrie to stay at the club. It’s what the fans wanted.”

Grazioli’s exceptional feat of pulling off the great escape with the Bees put him in the frame for the managerial role but he insists he is not disappointed at being overlooked for the top job.

The former Stevenage striker said: “I’m very proud of what I have done and I loved every minute of it but I have a lot to learn.

“A lot of managers come into the game and think they know it all already but then they fall flat on their face. The best way is to learn under experienced and good people and I’m looking forward to working with Lawrie.

“I’m very excited about the future. It’s an exciting time at the football club. I enjoyed my caretaker stint and that was a great time but this is an opportunity to learn from someone with such experience.

“Lawrie has managed at national level and in the Premier League so I’m really looking forward to the prospect of working with him.”

Barnet also announced this week Michael Stone will remain as first-team coach, while the club have agreed another year on top scorer Izale McLeod’s contract.

The former Charlton forward’s penalty against Port Vale kept Barnet in the Football League and he netted 14 goals in 25 starts.

“It is a big boost to have Izale staying here because he is our goalscorer,” Grazioli added.

“He is a massive asset and it’s exactly what we need at this level. His goals kept us up and we’re delighted to have someone like that at the football club.”

Grazioli expects there be to some upheaval during the summer as they look to improve the squad but he is keen for the bulk of the players who performed so well during the run-in to remain in North London.

He added: “I’m hoping there will not be too many players coming and going because the whole point is we want to have continuity and we want to retain the players that did so well at the end of the season. But there will be changes because we need to strengthen.”

Grazioli helped Barnet beat the drop after picking up two wins and a draw from their last five games.

He was their fourth manager of the season after Mark Stimson was sacked in January. Paul Fairclough had a spell as caretaker manager and Martin Allen took charge in March for just three games before jumping ship to Notts County.