Backroom team boosted by Blues

Fearn can start calling on the services of experienced physiotherapist Martin Stringfellow and football analyst Dale Whitfield after the second-placed Blues announced the duo's appointments at Westfield Lane on Friday ahead of a trip to Corby Town in EVO-STIK League South this weekend.

Stringfellow arrives after a more than a decade at National League outfit Guiseley AFC to succeed the outgoing Andy Tomlinson while Whitfield was previously with Scunthorpe United's academy.

The Lions alerted Fearn to Stringfellow's availability and Fearn told the club`s official Pitchero website: “My thanks go to Penny Wall there who made me aware of Martin’s availability and after a good chat yesterday he is keen to come and strengthen what we do in this department and build on the good work that Andy Tomlinson has done so far.

"He is vastly experienced and will add further quality and knowledge in terms of fitness and injury prevention. It is a shame that Tommo leaves us, but we knew it would be temporary due to his cricket commitments, which starts in the next month or so. He has been great for our club and we wish all the very best moving forward and he and his family will always be welcome at Westfield Lane.

“In terms of Dale, he has been working with us for the past month and the impact he has made has been tremendous. As his role as the club analyst he is responsible for the monitoring of the fitness levels, distance covered by the players, pulling together the footage and player clips from the Hudl system and developing the statistics that cover a wide range of things relevant to the game.”

Fearn, who has also saw Sheffield United agree to extend stopper Hugo Warhurst's loan deal until the end of the season before the weekend, added: “It’s been a busy few days and we are delighted with the progress we have made. To have Hugo for the remainder of the season is excellent news. As our fans have seen he is a very talented goalkeeper and has put in some superb performances already. Our thanks go to Sheffield United for allowing Hugo to continue his development with us."

Images courtesy of @frickleyafc/Twitter

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