Former Barnsley FC assistant Adam Murray is named as head coach at National League North side AFC Fylde

Murray took interim charge of the Reds following the departures of Daniel Stendel and Gerhard Struber in the autumns of 2019 and 2020 respectively, before linking up with Valerien Ismael.

Birmingham-born Murray followed the Frenchman to West Brom in the summer of 2021 and went onto work with him at Turkish Super Lig champions Besiktas after he left The Hawthorns.

Following Ismael's exit from Turkey recently, Murray headed home and will take charge of the Coasters for the first time against Gillingham in the FA Cup first-round replay on Tuesday.

Murray said: “I’m delighted to be here at AFC Fylde and working with a really good group of players.

“It’s a great challenge for myself and one that I am looking forward to.”

Executive vice chairman Phil Humphreys added: “We are extremely pleased to have secured Adam as our first-team head coach.

“His reputation, built on solid foundations, precedes him, and there is no doubt that we’ve made an appointment that is a perfect match for the club and for Adam.

“To his credit, he’s emerged as our first choice following a professional and robust recruitment process that saw more than 100 applicants for the role."

Andy Taylor, who has been Fylde's interim boss for the past 10 games since the resignation of James Rowe at the end of September, resumes his previous role as first-team coach.