NEW head coach Marc Richards is "special" at developing players, according to Hereford’s director of football Tim Harris.

Richards joins the National League North club with his assistant Will Morford and performance analyst Luke Brick after leaving as manager of Gloucester City.

He was player-coach and then assistant under Harris at Gloucester before taking over at the helm last December.

Richards, also assistant director of elite sport at Hartpury College, guided exiled City out of the National League South drop zone and almost into a play-off push.

He first joined in 2006 from Cirencester Town and played in over 100 games before returning in 2014 after a spell in Australia.

Harris said: “Marc is an excellent coach who can develop players and we need to put a structure into our game which I can’t really see in the two or three games I’ve seen.

“We need to work hard on the training ground to increase their fitness levels and generally put a game plan in place.

"I’ve worked with Marc before so know his strengths and I said to the board that this guy is special.

"He has developed some really good players who have gone on to play international football over a sustained period.”

Richards' first game will be Saturday’s home FA Cup tie with Welling United after replacing Pete Beadle in the hot-seat.