TIM FLOWERS has been tipped to flourish in charge of Kidderminster Harriers – by the man who lost his job in the club's sudden management reshuffle.
Kiddy sat bottom of the table before Saturday's matches and having drastically cut their budget over the summer, their miserable winless start even has some of their own players concerned about the future.
Captain Jared Hodgkiss says the strugglers are too big to be a National League North club – and wants some of his worried team-mates to get that thought out of their minds altogether.
The fear of the drop has forced chairman Rod Brown to make changes at the top. Former England goalkeeper Flowers, 48, is the new head coach with manager Gary Whild assuming a more hands-off role as head of football operations.
Intent
His former assistant Mark Creighton has left but he believes the re-jig could work well for him personally and for the Harriers.
He said: “I felt personally I was standing still a bit, it's been a bit of a nightmare but as a young coach it was very difficult and very demanding. Maybe it's a good thing for me.
“This might help Gary Whild to rejuvenate himself a little bit now too. He said something to me that stuck with me. In 18 months here I have had ten years' worth of managerial experience! We've been through a lot, and Gary must feel worn down.
“But Tim's a top man. He's a fantastic guy and a great coach. When the players look at him when he's talking they look at him with real intent. I hope he can turn the tide.”
The arrival of former Coventry City manager Steven Pressley in a coaching capacity last week confused many within the Kidderminster camp.
Arriving on a short-term basis to aid Whild and Creighton as part of an agreement with Harriers director Colin Gordon, it is understood he left of his own accord before last Thursday's training session.
Meanwhile skipper Hodgkiss, 28, said: “We're way too big a club to be in the Conference North, way too big. A few of the lads have mentioned it to me actually. I have told them to stop thinking like that. If you start thinking like that then it stays in your mind, so don't even consider it for a second.
“It's been a rough start. We've not won but it's my job to keep the squad positive as one of the senior players here. Hopefully that will help get us out of this sticky patch.
“When we went back to pre-season, I remember saying to myself ‘hold on, we've actually got a good chance of surprising a few people here'.
“I still believe we can do that. Yes, everyone knows the budget has been cut but we can't and won't use that as an excuse. Once we get that first win it wouldn't shock me if we went on a great run.”
