AFC Fylde boss links up with a familiar face from his Morecambe days

Gareth Thomas is linking up again with Jim Bentley Picture: Morecambe FC

The Coasters have appointed Gareth Thomas to their head of medical position.

The two men know each other well given Thomas spent a lengthy period of time with Bentley at Morecambe.

Thomas told the Fylde website: “I worked with the gaffer for 10 years at Morecambe, where I worked as a sports therapist under the head of medical there.

“I left there 18 months ago to focus on my private practice, with an idea that if I ever returned to football it would be to take a head of medical position.

“I obviously know Jim well and I had a great chat with Jonty (Castle, AFC Fylde CEO), then I was shown around the place and the facilities are brilliant.

“The plans for the place are really exciting and the ambition here far exceeds the current position we are in.”

Thomas will be seen on the touchline and in the dugout once the Coasters return to action, and he explained just what his responsibility entails.

He said: “A head of medical is someone who oversees everything medically at the club.

“I have a strong understanding of both the therapy side and the sports science side of sport so we’ll be looking to integrate everything together to improve overall performance.

“I’m not just a traditional physiotherapist, I like to think I can help to blend everything together.

“My day-to-day role will be to assess injured players and prepare their treatment plans, whilst looking at our injury prevention strategies and planning on how we can reduce re-occurring injuries.

“For example, if we had 10 hamstring injuries within the team, we can look at where we are going wrong and what we would need to do to strengthen those areas on the players’ bodies, whether that’s the load in training or in the gym.

“Another large part of my job is to conduct player medicals. That’s an exciting part for the fans when we bring a player in but it is also a really important part for the club, as we have to ensure the player we’re signing is in a strong physical condition.

“To put it loosely, you wouldn’t sign a car without looking under the bonnet to make sure it’s got an engine!”