Matt Elliott joins Rangers as No 2

Tim Flowers' reign as Stafford Rangers manager has officially begun - with Matt Elliott on board as the club's new assistant boss.

Flowers and Elliott took charge of training for the first time last night and will be in the home dugout for Saturday's visit of Gloucester in the Blue Square North.

The two were team-mates at Leicester from 1999 to 2003 and Elliott was also an international class player, winning 18 caps for Scotland.

Most recently, the 41-year-old has been co-manager at Midland Alliance outfit Oadby and also had a spell as Dean Edwards' assistant at Hednesford for the 2008/09 season.

Goalkeeping coach John Reeves and chief scout Danny Bishop comprise the rest of the new backroom team, working free of charge.

But it's the end of caretaker boss Steve Wynn's time at Rangers, who has left the club after just four months at Marston Road.

It was a financial decision Flowers had to make to bring in his own man, like himself a proven Premier League performer as a player.

He said: "Matt is the same now as he was then - big, strong and uncompromising.

"When he walks in to the room he commands respect and that's the sort of man I want with me at Stafford Rangers.

"Steve's a great lad but I wanted to bring Matt in and, with the budget constraints we have, there was no money for another coach.

"I don't like having to let him go and I wish him well."

With his backroom team in place, Flowers can now get down to establishing what he needs to do to make Rangers a force again on the field, with first impressions of the players still sinking in after last night's training session.

Money is tight at Marston Road with a wage budget of less than £2,000 a week for a 16-plus squad, so the former England goalkeeper will have to make a little go a long way.

But the 43-year-old insists he is fully prepared for what is in front of him.

He said: "I am not under any illusions, it's going to be a hard job. It won't be a million miles away from the biggest challenge I have ever had.

"We will see, I am not Paul Daniels, I have come here to do a honest job, learn more about the trade of management and see where that takes me.

"But there's no hidden agendas here, I know what exactly what money we have - and it isn't not a lot!"