FOREST GREEN chairman Dale Vince has presided over a management restructure with manager Mark Cooper moving to a role of head coach and Richard Hughes becoming director of football at the League Two club.

Following the example of clubs in higher tiers of the footballing structure, Cooper's new role sees him singularly focused on coaching the first team.

Cooper joined FGR in May 2016, and successfully led the 130-year old club into the Football League for the first-time, while narrowly missing out on promotion to League One last season.

Meanwhile, Hughes will  focus on all other elements of ‘footballing’ activity at FGR – from its physios and sports science, through to its scouting network and academy. 

Cooper said: “This structural change lets me spend even more time with players – we’ve got a focus on making this young group perform even better on the pitch, and develop some valuable assets for the club. Concentrating on what happens on the pitch, is a good place for me to be."

Meanwhile, Cooper paid tribute to former assistant manager Scott Lindsey who parted company with the Nailsworth club by mutual consent last week, he said: “I’d like to thank Scott Lindsey – my former assistant manager, he played a massive role in what we’ve achieved at FGR so far, and I wish him the very best for the future.”

 Hughes, who joined Rovers last season from Everton, said:“I’m really happy to have been given the opportunity to take on this new role at FGR – and I’m really looking forward to working more closely with Mark and Dale to drive us forward.”

Rovers' chairman Vince insisted the move was a logical step in the progression of a club with lofty Championship ambitions.

He said: “Adopting this modern footballing structure at the club is a logical next step for us, this will enable Mark to focus on the coaching and results on the pitch, while Rich takes care of all the other stuff that often a manager in the traditional role tries to cover. They work really well together, we all work really well together as a team.”