Peter Taylor sees Wayne Jacobs as his long-term No 2 at Valley Parade.

The new City boss is hoping to earn a deal at the club beyond the end of the season.

And if he does, Taylor will push for Jacobs to continue as his right-hand man.

Jacobs is also out of contract in the summer and was facing an uncertain future after Stuart McCall walked away a fortnight ago.

But Taylor has made it clear that he is very much part of his management structure at City.

He said: “I’m definitely here for another 16 matches but hopefully it can be a lot longer. And if it’s down to me, Wayne Jacobs will be here a lot longer.

“I know he was interested in the (manager’s) job and quite rightly so because he’s been here a long time. As much as Wayne was disappointed that he might have been overlooked on this occasion, he has been absolutely first class with me.

“He’s a very good professional and a really honourable man and hopefully he is as happy as I am with him.”

Junior Lewis, who has worked with Taylor at several clubs, will be added to the coaching staff before the Darlington home game on Saturday but Taylor stressed that Jacobs will always have a big say.

And he credited his assistant with the tactical ploy behind Tuesday’s stunning victory at leaders Rochdale.

Taylor said: “It was very important to me that Wayne stayed on and I made that clear in my interview when we talked about the staff.

“He has been a great help with team selection. Before the Rochdale game, he mentioned that he thought Michael Flynn could play in that attacking position, which I wouldn’t have known, and that was very important to our performance.”

Meanwhile, Taylor will ensure there is no slacking off in training as City go from one extreme to the other by preparing to face rock-bottom Darlo.

He said: “The players were determined on Monday and very determined on Tuesday evening against the top team. Now we are playing the side at the bottom but we’ve got to show the same desire.”