Contacts will be key for Matt Elliott

Stafford Rangers assistant boss Matt Elliott believes the management's level of contacts will continue to reap dividends during their time in charge.

Rangers chief Tim Flowers has already displayed his own standing with his first signings last week, calling on Northampton - where he coaches the goalkeepers part-time - to borrow Sebastian Harris and getting old Leicester team-mate Paul Dickov to loan him Rod McDonald from Oldham.

Their one-month deals solved a defensive crisis at Marston Road with Jermaine Johnson suspended, Mark Dudley injured and Ashley Woolliscroft returning to AFC Telford at the end of his loan spell.

But the third debutant in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Solihull Moors, Liam McDonald, was a lot down to Elliott's contacts.

The midfielder was brought in from Barwell and is known to the Rangers No 2 from his time at co-manager in the Midland Alliance with Oadby last season, with McDonald scoring against his side in February.

Elliott believes his arrival shows how far and wide the new regime at Marston Road will cast their nets to find talent.

He said: "Myself and Tim have got a lot of experience and, despite the fact that we played most of our career as professionals, we have got a decent knowledge of the non-league game.

"We have got a lot of contacts in and around that level."

Elliott believes that - despite threadbare wages to offer new signings - Rangers still represent an attractive option to ambitious players.

The chance to play under former international footballers with a creditable club, in the relatively nice surroundings of Marston Road, are the key factors to the assistant manager.

He said: "Stafford Rangers have been right up there in non-league terms and have been a big club for years, they are not where they want to be at the moment but hopefully we can go a long way towards turning that around.

"The facilities are there - it's a good stadium and the pitch is more than reasonable."