Hatters boss adds ex-Watford number two Kyle plus former Pirates and Bluebirds chief Trollope to his backroom staff at Kenilworth Road

Hatters boss Rob Edwards has appointment former Bristol Rovers and Cardiff City boss Paul Trollope, along with his ex-Forest Green Rovers number two Richie Kyle as his two assistant managers at Kenilworth Road.

Trollope, 50, made almost 500 appearances during a playing career that saw him feature for Torquay United, Derby County, Coventry City and Northampton Town, as he also won nine Welsh caps as well.

After hanging up his boots, he then spent five years in charge of Bristol Rovers, winning promotion from League Two and reaching Wembley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final in 2007, losing 3-2 in extra time to Doncaster Rovers.

On leaving the Memorial Stadium, Trollope was assistant to Chris Hughton at Birmingham City and Norwich City, then going to Cardiff City in 2015-16, where he was also part of Chris Coleman’s Wales' staff in the build-up to, and during their run to the semi-finals of the European Championships.

Named Bluebirds boss on his return from France, he was sacked after a poor start to the season, swiftly reacquainted with Hughton at Brighton & Hove Albion as the Seagulls won promotion to the Premier League, then heading to Nottingham Forest until their tenure was ended in September 2021.

Meanwhile, Kyle, 38, was Edwards’ number two at both Forest Green and Watford, with the pair having worked together for the Football Association as in-possession and out-of-possession specialist coaches with England U16s and U20s.

They first met through Edwards’ links to former club Blackpool, where Kyle was U18s coach and head of coaching before progressing to first team level, helping the Seasiders to promotion from League Two at the Hatters’ expense in 2016-17.

Luton’s new manager then shadowed Kyle and helped him coach the Seasiders’ youth team in the months after retiring as a player.

Kyle, who had started coaching part-time in Everton and Blackburn’s academies, headed to Canada for a brief spell as the women’s national team assistant manager in 2021 before returning to England to help Edwards lead Forest Green to the League Two title.

The trio met the players for the first time at the Brache this morning, as the squad will now head off for a six-day warm weather training camp on Saturday, before returning to play a behind-closed-doors friendly against Championship opposition on Saturday, December 3 in preparation for the EFL restart at Middlesbrough the following weekend.