Wanderers have made a further key appointment to their backroom staff with the arrival of Paul Walsh as the club’s new Head of Sport Science.
Walsh previously held the same post for three years at Championship club Stoke City, following a lengthy spell as First-Team Sport Scientist for Sunderland and the Northern Ireland national team.
His six-year stint on Wearside included time in the Premier League with the Black Cats, while his work with Northern Ireland saw him play a pivotal role in the coaching set-up headed by Michael O’Neill which took the country to the finals of Euro 2016.
The 35-year-old – who has continued with a part-time role as Head of Sports Science with the Republic of Ireland U21 side since leaving Stoke last summer – now takes on the lead of the sport science department with Wanderers as the Whites continue to develop and progress on and off the field under manager Ian Evatt.
Evatt said: “We felt like we needed some help and support in that area. The lads that are in there, and Matt Pelham (strength and conditioning coach) in particular, have done an incredible job in that department.
“Matt is still learning and we wanted to support him and add some experience. Paul has worked internationally, as well as for Sunderland and for Stoke, and is vastly experienced and we think it’s a really important hire.
“We thank the Board again for their support with this appointment. Sometimes you judge the level of support by what’s on the pitch put sometimes you need that support off the pitch as well.
“Our coaching and football department is constantly evolving and improving and that's great credit to the Board for helping us to do that.
“We feel that to get to the next level - and get the team to the next level - we need that support, experience and expertise in each individual department to help us go again.
“We've managed to get assets on the football pitch now that are extremely valuable and we have to give them all they need, on and off the pitch, to get the most out of themselves and Paul is a huge part of doing that.”