Tim Flowers taps into his contacts

New Stafford Rangers manager Tim Flowers is tapping into his Premier League contacts to get his players to the top flight of fitness.

Flowers will take his second training session tonight after putting the squad through their paces for the first time on Tuesday night, ahead of his first game in charge at home to Gloucester on Saturday.

Looking further ahead, the 43-year-old is having a mass exercise program devised the fitness team at Hull City, where he was assistant boss to Iain Dowie when the club were in the Premier League last season.

Flowers is also planning to approach local universities to offer the chance to film Rangers' matches, for Prozone-type analysis after the game.

The club are not in a position to pay for this service, but are hoping that the creditability of assisting with the managerial operation of a former England goalkeeper will be reward enough.

It's one of a number of ideas bouncing around in Flowers' head, after being appointed to his first manager's post a week ago.

The fitness programs are expected to be followed outside of training but, with top-level help enlisted to get the squad up to scratch, Flowers is urging his players to make the most of it.

He said: "Obviously I can't police what they do, but it's gives them the opportunity to follow schedules worked out by fitness coaches at a club that were in the Premier League last year.

"The lads there are doing that as a favour to me and are producing something that I can hand out to all of my players.

"It's the sort of thing they can do on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday outside of the club if they have got access to a gym."

Flowers will take his second training session tonight after putting the squad through their paces for the first time on Tuesday night, ahead of his first game in charge at home to Gloucester on Saturday.

Looking further ahead, the 43-year-old is having a mass exercise program devised the fitness team at Hull City, where he was assistant boss to Iain Dowie when the club were in the Premier League last season.

Flowers is also planning to approach local universities to offer the chance to film Rangers' matches, for Prozone-type analysis after the game.

The club are not in a position to pay for this service, but are hoping that the creditability of assisting with the managerial operation of a former England goalkeeper will be reward enough.

It's one of a number of ideas bouncing around in Flowers' head, after being appointed to his first manager's post a week ago.

The fitness programs are expected to be followed outside of training but, with top-level help enlisted to get the squad up to scratch, Flowers is urging his players to make the most of it.

He said: "Obviously I can't police what they do, but it's gives them the opportunity to follow schedules worked out by fitness coaches at a club that were in the Premier League last year.

"The lads there are doing that as a favour to me and are producing something that I can hand out to all of my players.

"It's the sort of thing they can do on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday outside of the club if they have got access to a gym."