Tim Flowers: Solihull Moors appoint ex-Blackburn and England keeper as boss

Tim Flowers played 11 times for England and won the Premier League title with Blackburn in 1995

Solihull Moors have appointed former Wolves, Southampton, Blackburn Rovers and England keeper Tim Flowers as manager of the National League club.

Flowers, 51, succeeds Mark Yates, who has left to join promoted National League champions Macclesfield Town.

He will be assisted by Gary Whild, with whom he previously worked at both Solihull and Kidderminster Harriers.

Warwickshire-born Flowers first joined the Moors last November, helping Yates to keep them in the National League.

"The great escape ranks as one of my biggest achievement in football," he said.

"To now have the opportunity to build on everything we achieved last season is the icing on the cake."

The only Midlands side in the fifth tier will be be aiming to stay at this level for a third successive season in 2018-19.

"I would like to thank the board for their confidence both in me and Gary Whild with whom I have an excellent working relationship," added Flowers.

Flowers has had a varied backroom career since retiring as a player in 2003, having been goalkeeping coach at Leicester City, Manchester City, Northampton Town, Nottingham Forest and Fulham - and assistant manager at Coventry City, QPR, Hull City and Kidderminster.

The Moors: the managers

Flowers will become the seventh different Moors manager since they reached English football's fifth tier for the first time in April 2016.

After the long-serving Marcus Bignot left for Grimsby Town in November 2016, Liam McDonald took over before being replaced by Richard Money.

After Money's short 26-day stay, former Harriers boss Whild had a fortnight at the helm prior to the arrival of Yates and Flowers, while first-team coach Keith Bertschin also had a game in charge both prior to McDonald's appointment.