Former Wrexham midfielder Lee Fowler appointed new Flint Town United manager

Flint Town United have appointed former Wrexham midfielder and Wales U21 Lee Fowler as their new first-team manager

The move follows the departure of Neil Gibson which was announced on Thursday.

‘Gibbo’ left the Silkmen after 18 months at the helm leading them to a top 5 finish in the Welsh Premier League last season.

Fowler joins Flint after a recent spell managing NPL Premier League outfit Radcliffe,

Flint Chairman Darryl Williams admitted the last few days had been particularly fraught for the club, but was relieved things had now been settled and was delighted with his new appointment.

He said: “Lee is well versed in all aspects of the game and I’m sure he will prove to be a big asset to the club.”

“Of course he will need to hit the ground running and his main priority will be to strengthen the squad following our recent departures, and I welcome the chance to work with him in achieving our goals”

Lee admitted that since leaving Radcliffe in October last year, he had turned down several opportunities within the English system, but felt that “now was the right time” to come back to the game and the chance to manage within the Welsh Premier was one he couldn’t turn down.

During his playing days he had several pre-season games for the club under Paul Davies, and at the end of his career also played for Holywell Town.

He is a keen student of the Cymru Premier, and has been regularly taking in games at Connah’s Quay and TNS, so is well aware of the standard required and the challenges that lie ahead.

On his immediate priorities, Lee cited the need to speak to the remaining players from last season’s squad, so that he can a better understanding of them and also that they are aware of what’s expected from him.

He didn’t rule out further departures, but stressed he was keen to work with the players where possible providing they buy into his vision for the club. Having lost so many of last season’s squad already, new player recruitment is obviously key, and he said that this will likely come from outside of the Cymru Premier league, as he will look to use his network and contacts within the English league system.

In terms of Backroom appointments, Lee said that his first choice would hopefully be to use the existing resources at the club, such as Academy Director Danny Bell and some of the senior players.